Recordatio
by Anna575
Summary: AU where the team doesn't remember who Percy is, but lets him stay with them anyway. A story of getting to know each other again and remembrance. Set in The Art of Finding Yourself verse, but you can see it as a kind of outtake from The Art of Team Bonding.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Things I don't want you to do after reading this: kill me. I'll freely admit, this chapter is a little…uh, well I'll let you decide that part. But anyway, this is it. I'll try to update semi-regularly, especially since I plan on writing at least half of this before actually putting this on the site. I hope you enjoy! Also, I'm very sorry for my, like, two month long radio silence. Let's hope that doesn't happen again.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't think I'm cool enough to own this.**

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Chapter One

It was all Percy's fault.

 _No memories, no familiarity, no you-remind-me-of-someone's. Nothing._

In fact, as Percy sat numbly in his hospital room, he knew for a fact that if he would've been better, done better, been _smarter_ , he might've been able to avoid this whole fiasco. He should've been able to stop this. In his opinion, this was his fault.

But technically, it was all the crazy girl with a tragic backstory's fault.

 _How could they not remember him at all? How could a person be erased from someone's mind so completely?_

It was always the crazy people, although it was a little different now that it was a woman. It was usually a crazy, cocky guy. Percy had never dealt with a hysterical, evil woman. He figured it had to happen sometime in his life though, and honestly, he thought the girl was scarier than the guys. Like, ten times scarier.

She called herself "The Exacter," and the best Percy could figure was that she _exacted_ her revenge on people for doing…something. That's what Percy and the team were still trying to figure out, even as they were on their way to the latest scene of the exacting.

"You know, you gotta hand it to this chick," Tony said, examining where his nails would be if his suit hadn't covered them up. "She's made it a lot farther than these other random upstart guys."

Natasha flipped her hair. "That's because women are more determined and effective than men." She sniffed but permitted herself a small, wry smile. "And did I mention smarter?"

"I think you're a little biased there, Nat," Clint said, "seeing as you're a woman."

"And they're just all-around better," Natasha went on, completely ignoring Clint.

Percy grinned. "We get it, Natasha. You're the best one on the team. You don't have to rub it in for us lesser folks." Percy gave an exaggerated nod over in Thor's direction as he made a "what can you do" expression. The hovercraft filled with laughter. Thor wagged a finger at Percy but let it go, smiling all the while.

"We're nearing the drop sight," Steve said, sobering up the mood. "I know we all have different drop sights, so be ready for yours. If you get into trouble, call for help over the comm. Remember that Bruce is our extra set of eyes and ears up here." Bruce gave a small wave and turned back to his console to finish setting up his various feeds of audio and visual.

Percy watched everyone go—he was the last one—and tried to observe his surroundings before he landed. They were in a quieter part of Manhattan. SHEILD had blocked off the few cars that would pass on these roads and shut down the small couple-storey shops on the street. The target building he would eventually go in was three stories and looked to be an old book shop on the outside. _That's new,_ Percy thought. It was well-kept and had most of its paint still on the building, unlike the other dumps they usually dug criminals out of. Its sign was in good condition, and the front had flowers growing in front of the building in a few pots. If Percy hadn't known it was an evil lair, he might've thought it was a place Annabeth would go to draw up more plans or read.

In the end, maybe that was the thing that should've tipped him off. The fact that it looked so _normal._

 _Normal can be misleading. He should've paid attention. He should have known._

It was nearing Percy's drop site, so he patted Bruce on the shoulder and slid down the ladder they lowered for him. He entered the back of the building, opening the door carefully and quietly, checking for cameras. The loose plan was to try and surround the Exacter and try to trap her then to bring her in for questioning.

To Percy, it seemed like something was off. They had studied the basic layout of the building, so Percy knew exactly where to go, but something just didn't seem right. The hallways were clear, and there were only two rooms on this floor, both filled from top to bottom with bookcases, although most were empty. He saw one book still lying on the bookshelf, though. He squinted to read the title. That's weird, he thought, but the book title was _The End Is Nigh_. That was a little foreboding. Surely that wasn't the name. He stepped closer to get a better look, unable to resist.

Suddenly, he was doused from his head to his waist with a sprayer from the ceiling, scaring him so much that he jumped a good foot off the ground. _Where the heck did_ that _come from?_ he wondered in frustration as he stepped out of its firing direction. _I thought I checked all the ceilings._

He could tell it wasn't water, for sure. It tasted funny, and it made his skin crawl and the world tip from side to side. He coughed and gagged, trying to spit out whatever he had swallowed, but he could tell it was too late. He had already breathed it in _and_ ingested it, so he was drugged and there was nothing he could do about it. He really hoped it was just a drug and not a poison, anyway.

The walls started to change colors, and Percy found this funny for some reason. He chuckled, and then shook his head. He was supposed to be doing something. But what was it? He couldn't remember, but he figured that if he found the others, they would be able to tell him and get rid of this nauseous feeling while they were at it.

He began to walk unsteadily down the hall, brushing his hand along the wall for balance and because he was bored. Where was everybody, anyway? Why he was in this creepy, dusty old building was beyond him.

Percy heard a small sound coming from another part of the building. He walked a little faster, trying to get closer to the sound to see what it was. Maybe it was his friends! As he neared the end of the hall, he heard that it wasn't just any sound: it was someone screaming. And then another person started. And then another. Percy's feet recognized who they were before his brain could catch up. He began to run, and with every step he took, his brain seemed to be saying _get to team need help need help help them get to team_.

This wasn't part of the plan, Percy hazily remembered. What had gone so wrong that they were all in trouble? Were they hurt? His anger at that cleared his mind temporarily of the clouds before they slid right back to where they were before, obscuring his mind.

He sprang up the second floor stairs and knew that the screams weren't coming from there. He bounded up to the third floor and heard the screams get louder. He ran faster and faster, flinging open the multiple doors on this floor and calling out his friends' names. Finally, a few doors until the end, he picked the right room.

He saw them all standing on the far side of the room and knew in a moment of clarity that they were all drugged. Then he shook his head. He heard screaming. None of his friends were screaming here, obviously, so where had it come from? Then he noticed that Bruce was also here behind a very confused Thor and frantic Tony. He was supposed to say in the helicopter listening for everyone. He was supposed to be their extra eyes and ears. He was only _supposed_ to come down in emergencies. This wasn't an emergency. Bruce wasn't even the Hulk right now. He was just drugged Bruce. What was he doing here?

"Hello, Percy," a voice said behind Percy, abruptly cutting off the sounds of screaming. He whirled around unsteadily to face, for the first time, the Exacter. She looked like a normal woman you'd see on the street, maybe someone with a business degree or a lawyer type. The only thing that gave her away, Percy thought, was her eyes. He could see the psycho in them. "You seem a little confused." Her voice was sultry, and it sounded like she smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.

"What…" Percy's words seemed to cling to his throat, not wanting to escape into the world. He started over. "What did you—what did you do?" he asked. "If y-you hurt them, I swear I-I'm gonna—"

"Oh, I don't think you'll be doing too much until you can say a full sentence," she said lightly. "You know, it really wasn't all that hard to get you all here. A little drug here and there and you were all helpless. I turned on some screams, and well, your interpretation of it brought you here like flies to a light. And just like the flies, _this_ light will be your downfall." She grinned cruelly, and Percy was really freaked out by her. He uncapped Riptide and held it out in her direction. He barely noticed that it was shaking or that his grip on it was too weak to do any real damage. He felt sick.

"How do you know my—my name?" Percy asked slowly, trying to clearly say his words. He reached up to touch his face and just realized that he didn't have anything to cover it.

"Your friends called it a few times, and this is the first time they've all been quiet since they've been here, so I'm guessing it's you." She prowled closer, and he took a few steps back, tripping on his own feet. Percy swayed alarmingly. "So the real question is, are you the newest Avenger?"

"I'm just here to help," Percy said, remembering at the last second that he shouldn't tell this woman anything. "I don't work with them."

"Right," she said sarcastically. "Because you guys aren't close at all. I couldn't tell by their frantic screaming for you." Her eyes flashed with anger. "Do not _lie_ to me and do _not_ take me for a _fool_." She stepped even closer to Percy, who felt like he might be sick _right now_. Her face distorted and formed fangs and then switched back to human. His breathing quickened.

"Do you know what I'm going to do to you?" Percy shook his head no. He tried to think of what he could do, but he didn't think he was steady enough to do any actual damage. He felt really faint now, like he was going to pass out at any second. He swallowed and hoped he didn't puke. "I'm going to disassemble everything you've worked for." She smiled wider and wider as she went on. "All the holes you've patched in the Avengers, all the things you've fixed, will be gone. And they'll go right back to the mediocrity they were at. The people will suffer, the team will suffer, and _Percy_ ," she said, spitting his name, "will be no more."

She surged forward and slammed Percy against the wall. He forced his eyes open, even as he saw black spots threaten to consume his vision. He heard his sword make a _clang_ as it hit the floor. "You—will—be— _nothing_ ," she growled, her hand choking him as her elbow dug into his ribs. She shoved him against the wall again and stepped back. "And neither will the team," she finished with satisfaction.

Percy watched, sagging against the wall and fighting to stay conscious, as she grabbed a remote and viciously stabbed at a button. He saw a gas begin to leak out of the ceiling near the team. "No," he muttered, knowing this was going to hurt his friends. He had to stop her. He stumbled towards the woman. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he began to see his teammates, his friends, get a blank look on their face and drop like flies. "No!" he yelled. He dove for the woman and tackled her to the ground. She hit her head hard on the ground and didn't stir afterwards. Percy made sure she wouldn't get away before he grabbed for the remote and switched the gas off.

Covering his mouth so he wouldn't fall unconscious too, Percy scrambled over to the team, half-crawling, as he mumbled "No, no, no, no, _no,_ " over and over again. He reached Natasha first. They were all breathing and seemed perfectly healthy, like they were only asleep. His hands fluttered around uselessly. He couldn't do anything. He tapped their cheeks and shouted their names until his throat hurt, but they still wouldn't wake up.

He scrubbed at his own cheeks, feeling that they were wet and being confused. He sucked in a few huge breaths and put another hand on the ground from where he was kneeling as he swayed. It felt like his brain was short-circuiting.

"What did she _do_ to you?" he finally yelled at them, hoping that Tony or Bruce would wake up and give him a technical talk that would go completely over his head. He slapped his hand against the floor and felt a sob build in his throat. He was so confused and didn't know what was going on. He just wanted to know if his friends were all right.

"What did you _do_? I hate you!" he screamed at the lady lying on the floor peacefully. He couldn't remember her name now, or why he hated her, but he did. "I hate you, I hate you, I _hate_ you!" He felt the weight of the world crushing him and bent down until his head was against the cool floor. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry," he sobbed into the floor, his head pounding in time with his breaths. "I'm so sorry. I've failed and I-I was too late. I'm sorry. Please wake up, I'm s-sorry. _Please_ wake up. PLEASE!" he shouted desperately, his voice terribly anguished even to him.

He couldn't remember what had happened or why he was here. Why wouldn't his friends wake up? Why wasn't Thor talking too loud or Clint making sarcastic comments in the background? Why weren't Tony and Bruce doing science? Why weren't Natasha and Steve having a conversation about an old movie they'd both seen? _Why weren't they waking up?_

Percy hit the floor with his fist again and again and then checked to see if he could wake his friends up again. He saw the door slam open and people in black burst open. They tried to coax him up but he yelled " _No_! I'm not leaving them!" repeatedly until they physically took him by the arms from where he was kneeling and lifted him up. He struggled against them and strained to get back to his friends, the people he _loved_ that were lying on the cold, cold floor. He ripped an arm away and grasped at the fabric of Bruce's shirt before being torn away. "No!" he howled as loud as he could as they took him out of the room. He felt hot tears slipping down his face again. "No! I _need_ them! I need to help them! Let me _GO_!"

He heard them say that it was going to be alright, that they were going to help them, but he didn't listen. "Don't take me away from them," he pleaded as he watched their faces stretch and shrink into grotesque shapes. "Please, please I need to _help_ them you don't understand!" He thought one of them walking near him looked familiar. One man wore an eye patch and had dark skin, and one a regular suit with pale skin and close-shaved hair. The latter's face seemed kind but pained right now.

Percy flinched as a flashlight shined in his eyes. "His pupils are blown. He's been drugged badly. We need to get him to the hospital now. No telling what's in that stuff." Percy's hands shook as he thought of his friends being all alone.

Percy felt a sob come out of his throat as the people in black took him farther and farther from the place he wanted to be. His feet dragged on the floor and he struggled weakly against the arms that held him. He yelled for his friends until he came out into the sunlight. He was pushed down firmly onto the ground. He weakly pushed at the probing hands and tried to squirm out of their hold until he felt a prick on his arm. Darkness encompassed his vision, and the last thing he remembered was breathing out, "Please help them," as someone stroked back his sweaty hair from his forehead.

 _He should have done something. Why hadn't he done something?_

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 **A/N: Ahaha, please don't kill me. So this was a little more intense than the stuff I usually write? I'm a little nervous about this, so let me know what you thought about this chapter. Man, this is the first chapter of this story and I'm already hitting you with a cliffie. I'm so sorry (not sorry enough to stop though). Anyway, you'll probably get the next chapter in about a week. I hope you enjoyed this so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, nice job Anna. Only one day off the "I'll update in a week" promise. So anyway, thanks so much for your response last chapter! It blew me away. Really.**

 **Disclaimer: Heh, no.**

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Chapter Two

When Percy woke, his mouth felt like sandpaper. His body seemed to lay heavily on the bed, like there was an elephant sitting on his chest, weighing him down. An oxygen mask was placed on his mouth that messed up his breathing more than it helped.

He opened his eyes to look at the ceiling. White and plain. He'd know this ceiling anywhere, mostly from experience. What was he doing at SHIELD medical?

He sat up slowly, his joints creaking and groaning in protest, gently undoing the oxygen mask so he didn't tangle up all the wires around him. He tried to figure out what had happened, but kept drawing a blank. A very annoying and very _not going away_ blank. He slapped a hand on the "Call Nurse" button and waited patiently.

He wasn't very surprised when he got not only a nurse, but Nick Fury. His face was grim, and Percy felt a tingle along his spine, like he should've remembered something when Fury walked in. The nurse set to adjusting the IV in his arm and tutted only slightly when she saw the oxygen mask sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. Percy liked her better than the other nurses he had already.

"We've been monitoring you very closely," Fury began, looking out the window. "You've been asleep for three days. Do you remember anything this time?"

Percy furrowed his brows. "This time? I was awake before?"

Fury nodded. "Although this round you're actually coherent. Every other time you were hysterically yelling for your team or screaming at someone who wasn't there. We're thinking it was the Exacter. Do you remember anything about that?"

Percy had a feeling he did. The memories were trickling back in slowly, like a glass of water that had been tipped over on a table, steadily dripping over the sides. "There was a problem with her," he said slowly. "I was on a mission. With the team?" Percy waited for Fury to nod his yes. "And we had to go stop her from hurting people, I think. But when I got in there…" Percy trailed off, and Fury finally looked over at him.

"Percy, this next part is very important," Fury said as he walked closer to Percy, his voice serious. "As soon as you walked into that building, we lost all connection with you and the others. We need you to remember what happened."

"Wait," Percy said suddenly. "The others haven't woken up yet from it?"

Fury shook his head. "From _what_ , Percy?"

"From the—the—" Percy cut himself off. He could feel his eyes growing wide. His hands started to shake. "Oh my gods," he said. "Oh my _gods_." He clumsily started to un-tape his IV so he could take the needle out, his breathing quickening.

"Woah, woah, woah," the nurse said, moving his hands from his IV. "What are you doing?"

"I need to go see my friends," Percy said, immediately trying to unhook his IV again, only to be firmly pushed away again. "They're in trouble," he insisted.

Fury placed a hand on Percy's shoulder, although Percy wasn't exactly sure when he had gotten that close. "Percy, why are they in trouble?" he asked. His voice felt like it was pressing down on Percy's chest. Why else could Percy not breathe?

"That woman said that she was going to destroy the team I had made," Percy said, shaking his head, a touch frantically. "She told me that I would 'be no more' and that the team would be nothing. What did she do to them?" Fury didn't answer for a beat, so Percy started to get out of bed.

Fury pushed him back down, and Percy sighed in frustration. "Sit down, kid. You're not ready to move yet, and we aren't ready for you to move yet."

"You better tell me how they are or else I'll go see myself," Percy threatened.

Fury gave him a Look. "The team is fine. They're still unconscious, and they've had periodic wake-ups just like you. They haven't been coherent enough for us to ask them questions and get legitimate answers. They were hit with a harder dose of the drug than you." Fury gave Percy a stern look. "Now can you sit still and tell me what happened? That's an order."

Percy stared down at his hands in his lap. The nurse finished adjusting his wires and tubes and left, but not before giving him a motherly pat on the shoulder. "Are you sure they're okay? You can promise it?" Percy asked, his voice sounding small even to him.

Fury's face softened a fraction. "I can promise that they're on their way to a good physical recovery, kid. But I don't know about their mental state, just like we don't know about yours. Which is why I _need_ you to tell me what happened."

Percy blew out a breath. He was relieved that his friends were okay, but that woman's words still irked him and taunted him in the back of his mind. "You might want to sit. This could take a bit."

When he was done, Fury shook his head grimly. "You're right. It was definitely a set-up. But what for, we don't know."

But Percy had a sinking feeling in his stomach that said he could guess what it was for.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy sat in his bed, toying with his IV. He was thinking of a plan. A plan to escape his room and see how his friends really were. He had seen the nice nurse lady take it out earlier today and put it back in, watching closely so he would know how to take it out himself.

Getting caught would mean getting in a lot of trouble, especially since SHIELD really didn't want him to see his friends just yet for the obvious reasons of not knowing how the meeting would affect him and the Avengers.

Personally, Percy didn't think it was _that_ big of a deal since the team hadn't really even woken up yet. He could peek in on them real quick and leave before they even knew he was there. There was the flaw in the plan of not knowing how to put his IV back in, but he could deal with that snag later. Now, he had to act.

He plucked up his courage and pulled the needle out. He winced a bit, and when it was out he put it on the table. He still wasn't too fond of needles after the whole lab rat incident with Mabaya Moja. He slipped out of the bed, and his legs wobbled a bit. He hadn't really stood up in three days. His white cotton pants swished as he walked to the door, and he grimaced. He was wearing all white, so if he was caught out of bed, they'd know he was a patient for sure. He'd have to be careful so he could see his team first and _then_ get caught, especially since there were cameras everywhere, even in his room.

He slowly pulled the door open and peeked his head out cautiously. Checking both ways and seeing that it was clear, he nudged the door open fully, half-waiting on a loud siren to start sounding. He slipped into the hall and took a right, checking in the small window of each door. His breath caught as he saw the particularly large one the team was in. He heard footsteps coming around the corner so he quickly opened the door and stepped into the room, crouching down behind the door and hoping that they wouldn't come in this room. He sighed in relief as they passed the door and receded into the hallway.

He slowly got up and padded quietly over to the beds. They looked peaceful, but their faces were drawn, like they had been sick for a while and were just getting over it. Not far from the truth, Percy guessed. He could only imagine what _he_ looked like right now. Percy stepped a bit closer. They were all connected to wires and tubes doing who knows what to them like he had been. They all had heart monitors quietly beeping out their own rhythms, and the sound comforted Percy slightly.

It was weird. Thor was such a big guy, and yet he looked so small and…defeated lying on the bed in a white cotton shirt like Percy's. They all looked so small. Natasha's hair fanned out like a red halo around her, and instead of capable and sure, she looked fragile. Percy felt his heart break a little inside him.

Percy was just taking another step forward when he banged his knee into a tray of instruments.

Not only did the instrument tray totally _blindside_ him and hurt _a lot_ , but he also saw the beginnings of wakefulness on his teammates' faces.

He cursed under his breath and hobbled away. But not quick enough apparently. Fury was going to _kill_ him.

"Hey," Percy heard a voice croak. He froze. It was Tony. "Hey, kid."

He turned around reluctantly and looked at Tony with a sheepish expression. Thor was blinking awake, too, and the others weren't far behind.

"Sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to wake you up," Percy said. "Don't tell Fury, okay? He'll kill me."

Tony's face scrunched up slowly in confusion. He still looked half-asleep. "What?" he asked blankly.

"Hey, while you're semi-awake, how are you feeling?" Percy asked. "Okay?"

Tony shook his head. "What—Who are you? Some person SHIELD sent to see how I was?"

Percy felt the blood drain out of his face. _Oh, no. Oh, no no no. She_ couldn't _have._ "I-I—" Percy stuttered, feeling his world collapse around him. "No. No, I'm not someone SHIELD sent. You don't _remember_ me?" Percy asked, desperation leaking into his voice.

Tony looked plain lost. Percy didn't think he had ever seen him so stumped. "Kid, I've never seen you before in my life. _Should_ I know you? You aren't an agent or anything, I think. You're a patient, too."

Percy could feel himself hyperventilating as the others watched him curiously and a little suspiciously because he was new. Because he was new to them and they had _never seen him before_.

 _Gods, this was all so_ wrong.

"You guys don't remember me." It should've been a question, but it changed into a statement with the finality in Percy's voice. "You don't remember me at all. _Me._ " Percy scrubbed his hands through his hair as they all shook their heads "no" confusedly.

"Could you tell us your name?" Steve asked. The team was starting to sit up to look at him better. They were starting to look at Percy like he was crazy.

Percy gave a small humorless chuckle that sounded disbelieving even to him. "It was a mistake to come here. I should've listened to Fury for once. I need to go." Percy turned around and began striding for the door as fast as he could, ignoring the questions behind him.

Just when Percy didn't think it could get any worse, a doctor opened the door. And stared at him in surprise. Then his face transformed into disapproval and then anger when he saw the Avengers awake and lucid. He reached down to his walkie-talkie, pulled it off his belt, and put it to his mouth.

"Don't—" Percy began, but the guy shot him a look so scathing that spoke volumes on how much trouble he'd be in.

The doctor pushed him aside roughly with a curt " _move_ " and went to check the team. They all ignored him in favor of looking at Percy in interest.

Percy wasn't sure which was worse. The blank looks that the team was giving him, or the dangerous look on Fury's face.

Just before he was taken out of the room, Bruce called "Wait!"

Everyone paused, tensed. Percy turned to face him.

Bruce's eyes showed no recognition, only sorrow and guilt, like he felt bad he didn't know Percy. "I'm sorry I don't remember you. What's your name?"

Percy gave him a small, sad smile. He cleared his throat and looked down, unable to even see a face that was so twisted with polite friendliness. "It's Percy," he said to his shoes, before he walked out of the room of his own accord.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"How could you be so _stupid_?" Fury asked. He sure was living up to his name right about now, Percy thought absently as he sat on his hospital bed like a scolded little kid. "I specifically told you _not_ to go to that room, and you heard it as an _invitation_ to waltz right in."

Percy was getting irritated now. "Well, maybe if you would've freaking _told_ me something, I wouldn't have had to! You acted so secretive that I _knew_ something was up. And I was right, wasn't I? _Wasn't I_?" Percy demanded, and Fury didn't look at him. "I know you knew that there was something wrong. And you didn't tell me on purpose. So don't tell me you're actually _surprised_ that _I_ of all people disobeyed the rules."

Percy saw Fury clench his teeth. Probably to avoid saying something really bad. Percy leaned forward. "This is what the psycho woman wanted. She told me specifically that I wouldn't be anything anymore. This is what she _meant_ to do. Why didn't you question her?"

"We didn't get anything out of her," Fury said flatly. "And we aren't going to. She won't talk."

"I'm going to go talk to her," Percy said decisively. "I might be able to get her to say something."

"You will do _nothing_ ," Fury said, his voice cracking like a whip in the quiet room. "I think you've done enough for today. You could've harmed your teammates more than they already are. Did you _want_ to disturb them to the point where they could've violently reacted, or are you just so _arrogant_ as to think that there would be no consequences?"

Percy felt his heart clench. "You know what, Fury. I get it, okay." Percy threw his hands up. "This is all my fault. _I_ was the idiot who couldn't save them in time. _I_ was the only one aware of things to where if I would've been better, I could've stopped the crazy lady who wanted to destroy the Avengers. I _get it._ I'm not good enough. Gods, don't you think I _know_ that already?"

Fury sighed. "That isn't what I meant."

"But it's what we're all thinking," Percy said with finality.

The room was silent, and Percy, horrifyingly, thought he might cry. His hands began to shake again. He tried to clench them together to make it less obvious, but Fury still noticed. He cleared his throat.

"I'll get a doctor in here to look at that tremor. Maybe he can fix it." He excused himself from Percy's room, leaving him alone with only his thoughts.

Percy laid down and pressed his face into the pillow. He'd lost six of his closest friends, all of which he had been living with for the past several months, in the span of four days. But that wasn't the worst part. No, he'd meant what he'd said to Fury.

The worst part was that it really _was_ all his fault.

 _Gods, why hadn't he done something?_

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 **A/N: Whew, I'm not giving you guys a break at all, am I? Just repeatedly slamming you with the feels, and so unrepentant while I'm at it, too. So let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I'll see you guys in about a week!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Guys. Great news. I updated in exactly a week this time. Woo! Also, this chapter is pretty long, so enjoy. My poor child, Percy. (I'm laughing evilly right now.)**

 **Disclaimer: What's cooler than being cool? I don't know, but I still don't own this stuff.**

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Chapter Three

Percy's punishment for sneaking out sucked, all things considered. Not only did they post a guard outside his door, but he also had to stay overnight in the hospital. Although he probably would've had to do that anyway. He almost complained that he was fine, but stopped when he saw Fury's face. He agreed reluctantly to it.

What he would not, under any circumstances, agree to was drugs to "help him sleep" tonight.

"Do you think I was born yesterday?" Percy asked Fury and Nice Nurse rhetorically as she prepped a dosage. "I'm not stupid. You're just putting that in me so you can make sure I'll behave. Trust me, I think I've hurt myself enough today, I'm not gonna go see them." Percy's heart ached just thinking about it.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you won't go see them again," Fury said. "But it's up in the air if you try and escape this hospital to go back home or to the tower."

Percy considered it. He did have a point. "I wouldn't do that," Percy denied, but it sounded weak even to him.

Fury made a gesture like Percy had agreed whole-heartedly that he would escape. "This is why you're getting the sleeping aid."

Percy sighed. "I really, really don't think it's a good idea. Seriously. Escaping aside."

Fury looked at him seriously. "It'll be a deep sleep, Percy. You'll wake up and not know that you even went to sleep."

"Somehow, I have a hard time believing that," Percy mumbled. "Past experience and all."

Nice Nurse frowned. "I'm not getting that into you any time soon, am I?" she asked, handing him a cup of water. She flicked her curly dark hair out of her eyes.

Percy shook his head as he drank it. "Not likely," he told her. He drank about half the cup before setting it back down.

"They're going to make you stay overnight tomorrow at the very least, too," Fury informed Percy, who groaned. "To run tests and see if they can come up with a solution to the…problem with you."

"Fan-freaking-tastic," Percy muttered sarcastically. His eyelids were beginning to droop. "I can't believe this is happening. How could they not remember me?" he heard himself say. Then he blinked. He hadn't meant to say that. His eyelids got heavier. He blinked again and didn't open his eyes.

He felt the Nice Nurse lady push him back against the pillows and pull the covers over him. Percy sighed.

The cup of water had definitely been drugged. Sadly enough, it seemed like something his team would do if it would help him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy slept fitfully, even with the sleeping drug. He wasn't surprised when he was finally able to jolt out of a nightmare that he was drenched in sweat.

He glanced at his clock, which blinked 5:02 at him every second or so. He blew out a breath and leaned back against the pillows, trying to slow his heartbeat. He wouldn't be getting any more sleep any time soon. He pulled himself up in bed.

He really needed to talk to that Exacter woman. If he was going to learn anything, it would be from her. And he needed to do it now. Percy slipped out of his bed and tried to inconspicuously glance out of the small window in his door. His guard was sitting in a chair, looking very much alert.

Percy pulled back and leaned against the wall to think. He looked around the room for anything that might be a distraction before his eyes alighted on the cup of drugged water on his nightstand. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards in a smile against his will.

Five minutes later, he was leaning a sleeping guard back against his chair so he wouldn't fall. Percy was a little proud of his idea to transform the drugged water into a gaseous state so the guard could breathe it in. Taking the guy's ID so he could get into the cell, Percy jogged to the elevator and pressed the basement floor. He figured that that was the only place SHIELD would put her, if she was even in the building at all. She was probably in here in case the doctors wanted to run a test on her blood to see if she had hidden the solution in her bloodstream or something equally unlikely and farfetched that might help the world's saviors.

The doors didn't make a happy _ding_ when they opened like they did back at the tower; they simply slid smoothly open. Percy stepped off and slid to a dark corner. He bit his lip. How exactly he was going to do this was the question. He wasn't sure if she would even be awake or if there were guards around her door. He was hoping that just the ID would work.

He started to walk down the empty hallway, getting an uneasy sense of déjà vu as he glanced in each room for the person he wanted to find. Percy walked so far down the hall that he was beginning to think that all the cells were empty when he saw a tangle of hair through a window he just passed. Checking down the hall both ways—why weren't there guards?—he waved the guard's ID in front of the scanner and carefully opened the door.

The Exacter's head didn't lift even after he closed the door. Percy knew instinctively she wasn't asleep, so he guessed she wanted to be dramatic. Or intimidate him.

But there was a problem. Percy wasn't intimidated, especially not when she was in manacles in a chair. No, Percy was mad.

He clenched his fists as he saw her smile slightly. He was wrong. He wasn't mad—he was livid.

"Enjoying your stay here?" Percy asked her tightly. "I knew the rooms were nice here, but I wasn't sure how nice until I entered your room. Excuse me, _cell_."

The woman finally lifted her head to meet Percy's eyes. She smirked. "If SHIELD can't get anything out of me, what makes you think you can?"

Percy shrugged. "Who said I wanted to? Maybe I came here to rub it in your face and laugh about the Avengers being perfectly fine. Your plan didn't work." He tried to sound confident.

The woman's face showed surprise for a moment before it transformed into something even smugger than it was before. "You're lying. You wouldn't be here if it didn't work. I can read you like a _book_." She leaned as close as she could to him before her handcuffs stopped her. Percy resisted the urge to step back and tilted his chin up. "Tell me," she said, "how does it feel for people to completely forget you? I bet it positively _eats_ at you when you see their blank stares—"

Before Percy was even aware of what he was doing, he had one hand fisted in the woman's shirt and the other against the back of the chair. He was breathing hard, but his words were deliberate. "Tell me how to fix them," he told her, "or you'll wish you'd never been born. I know the guy in charge of hell." When she laughed, Percy only smiled grimly. "Literally."

The woman stopped laughing, but her eyes didn't lose the crazed mirth Percy had seen before. "Oh, Percy, I feel bad for you. Really, I do. The reason SHIELD couldn't get anything out of me is because there's nothing to _get_. There _is_ no cure. I didn't make one," she giggled.

Percy stepped back quickly. "Are you nuts? There's no way you didn't make one." Surely this lady was bluffing. But another look at her crazy eyes, and Percy knew she was telling the truth.

Percy shook his head at her and started backing out of the room. She cackled, screaming different obscenities at him. "Run, little boy! Run back to your precious strangers!"

Percy didn't think he could ever say he was glad to get back to his hospital room, but this time was the exception.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was lying flat on his back with a pillow over his face on his bed. He'd been thinking non-stop ever since he'd gotten back from the Exacter's cell. He had a lot to consider.

He'd wondered if he was going to go back to Camp Half-Blood. He couldn't stay with the Avengers. He'd been accused by Annabeth to be a masochist, but he wasn't _that_ bad. There's no way he could live with being in the same tower as six people who knew him as a stranger when he…knew them. No, Percy would have to go back to camp. They always needed help there, anyway.

He had thought about a solution to a problem, if there was anything on his Greek side he could do to help. He doubted that Apollo or any of the gods for that matter would interfere with something this big, but he could still try to look back at Camp. He didn't think that would help either.

Was he even going to talk to the team? Would they want to get to know him again if things didn't work out? Or would they choose to close up this time around? Was _Percy_ ready to start from the beginning if they wanted to? _It all goes back to the whole masochism thing_ , Percy thought miserably. Annabeth was right.

The sad thing was if the team asked him to stay, he would do it. He would do it in a heartbeat because they were another family to him and because he loved them like they were the older siblings he never had. Gods, he missed them, the _old_ them, already.

Percy heard a knock at his door and then a creak as it opened. He groaned and peered at the clock from under the pillow. It was only eight o'clock. He didn't know the doctors wanted to start the testing _this_ early.

He threw off the pillow and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Are the doctors even up at this time, Fury?" Percy complained, more because it was expected of him than anything. "Because I would think they would need their beauty sleep so they don't completely screw me up during test—" Percy looked up and realized that he was very much _not_ talking to Nick Fury. "—ing," he finished lamely, eyes wide.

The six Avengers stood almost sheepishly in the doorway, Thor looking downright comical as he tried to squeeze through the door.

Percy finally worked his mouth closed. "Uh," he said, feeling unbearably awkward. "Hi?" Percy could've kicked himself for making it sound like a question.

"Hi," Tony said when Bruce and Natasha both nudged him. "Do you mind if we come in for a minute?"

Percy gestured for them to come in, still feeling a little shell-shocked. No way Fury had granted a pass for this. "Uh, we'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Fury. We aren't exactly here because we have permission," Steve said, seeming to read his mind.

Percy found his voice again as Clint carefully shut the door. "Don't worry about it. I've snuck out twice in the past twelve hours. I won't tell if you don't."

Tony grinned. "I _knew_ that guard was sleeping too heavily. Nice job, kid." He squinted at Percy. "I guess you aren't technically a kid, though. But I'm still gonna call you one."

Percy sighed, but a smile was playing on his lips. Some things didn't change no matter what the circumstances were. "Did you guys need anything?" _Stupid question, Percy, why_ else _would they be here_ , Percy asked himself sarcastically.

The team pulled up chairs, and Percy scooted more upright in his bed. Thor sat down heavily before his deep voice rumbled through the room. "I know you," he said finally. "Your name is Perseus Jackson. Your stories are told with great admiration—"

"Throughout Asgardian halls," Percy finished before realizing that it was really rude to interrupt someone, even if you already knew what they were going to say. "Sorry," he said, looking at his hands.

Thor stared at him in slight wonder. "You truly _do_ know us."

Percy laughed. Thor's face resembled the time he had found out that there was such thing as a XXL banana split at the ice cream shop just down the block from Avengers Tower. "Yeah. I've lived with you guys for about six months now."

Tony whistled. "Wow, really? You've been able to deal with us for that long? That's impressive."

"Tony hacked a hospital tablet so he could get into the SHIELD records and stuff back at the tower," Natasha informed him. "Very Tony move, so I doubt you'll be creeped out by it."

"Well, you're not wrong," Percy mumbled. "And? What did you find?" he asked louder.

"Prank War footage," Clint said. "Very clever, by the way."

"Multiple pictures of us in a dog pile sleeping," Tony put in. "I'm gonna talk to Jarvis about that."

"You and Thor sparring," Steve added. "Videos and some well-timed pictures."

"Front of a newspaper where the Hulk was holding you," Natasha continued. "And video footage of all of us teasing you about it."

"Mercilessly," Percy said. "Don't forget how you didn't have a heart when you did it." Percy mentally berated himself again. How many times was he going to forget that they didn't know him? He needed to get rid of his knee-jerk reaction of treating them like they were still his best friends.

Thor rubbed his mouth. "We did go on for quite some time."

"And there were a lot of other mundane things and stuff," Tony finished off. "With SHIELD records on all the fights and baddies we've gotten together. In other words: a bunch of stuff."

Percy nodded. "You didn't risk getting caught by Fury to come tell me that, though," he pointed out.

Tony blinked. "Uh, right. We didn't." He turned to the others. "What are the chances that he already knows what I'm going to say since he apparently knows us so well?"

"We're trying to ask if you want to stay," Bruce said, cutting across Tony. "Tony's getting to the point of not kicking you out of the tower. I mean, we lived with you when you were a stranger once, so it won't be too different for us." He paused. "But if you're uncomfortable with it—"

Percy was sickeningly fast in his response. "No no, I'll stay with you guys. Who knows, maybe I could help you remember."

Steve smiled. "We'll be glad to have you, Percy." He patted his legs and stood up. "Fury will be in soon to take us for testing so we better go. The plan is to run individual tests and then group ones for brain scans later in the day. Hope you're up for some work." The team left with one last quick, slightly awkward smile.

Percy fell back against the bed. He groaned loudly and shoved a pillow back on his face. "Why me?" he asked the pillow. If there was any doubt in Annabeth's mind on the topic of his masochism, there certainly wasn't now.

Gods in Olympus, how was he going to do this?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When in doubt, call Annabeth.

It had been Percy's motto since he was, like fourteen, and he figured it had been working pretty well so far for him.

Annabeth shook her head at Percy in disbelief once he was done filling her in. "Percy, you could've died. And this whole thing with the Avengers is awful. How are you even remotely okay right now?" She rubbed her face, and Percy was almost sorry he bothered her with this. He didn't like to see her worried, but he knew if he _didn't_ tell her she would definitely flay him alive. Probably. "What am I going to do with you, Seaweed Brain?" She shook her head again and gave him a half-smile. "I'm guessing you're still not going to come back to camp?"

Percy grinned. "You know me too well." He shuffled around on his bed. Still looking down, he added, "I can't give up on them, Annabeth. They need me to help them remember. I can't give up on family."

"I know," Annabeth said sympathetically. "I know." The horn sounded in the distance, and almost simultaneously, there was a knock on Percy's door. "Call me when you're not busy, Seaweed Brain. Things will turn out okay," she said seriously. "Love you." She waved a hand through the IM, ending the call.

A doctor opened Percy's door. "Are you ready, Mr. Jackson?"

Percy gave him a grimace. "Can't wait."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy wasn't sure what was worse. All the needles they jabbed in him trying to find a remedy, or the MRI he had to have that really reminded him how much he didn't like enclosed spaces.

Percy shuddered as he stepped out of the MRI room. He was still a little shaky, and all this medical equipment was bringing back to his brief stint as an actual lab rat. And the only people who knew a lot about _that_ first-hand didn't remember him at all. _Fantastic_ , Percy thought.

At least his next round of testing was with the team. The doctors sat him in a chair and turned him to face the Avengers. He gave a small wave before paying attention to the doctor.

"We need you to say certain words, phrases, or memories that have significance between you and the Avengers," he informed Percy. "Simply say it out loud, and we'll let you know if we need you to stop or say it again."

Percy nodded. "Sounds easy enough."

The doctor retreated with his clipboard a few feet and then gestured with his free hand. "Whenever you're ready, Mr. Jackson."

"Uh," Percy said, drawing a blank. He mentally wracked his head for something, only to blurt out "Atychiphobia."

"Bless you," Tony said dryly, although he frowned as he said it. He scratched his head. "Did I really tell you about that?" In the corner, the doctor looked at the brain waves and scribbled down some notes.

"Victor von Don't," Percy said.

Thor squinted at him. "It is either you or Tony that would say something like that."

"Prank War," Percy said, his tone a little smug despite his efforts to keep a calm face so he wouldn't give anything away. "Got it on camera and put it up all over SHIELD."

Clint's mouth dropped open. "You put it all over _SHIELD_?"

"Percy Jackson's Guide to Living with the Avengers." Percy tapped his fingers on his arm rest, trying to think of something that might jog their memories without going to the big can of worms first. But he was stumped. "Ariel. Mabaya Moja." These had to be sounding like random words he was just throwing out there to the team.

Natasha held out her hand in a "wait a minute" gesture, and Percy felt a small spark of hope come alive in him. "Say that again," she said.

"What, Mabaya Moja?" Percy said, confused but also a little excited. Was the team finally remembering something?

"That's Swahili, isn't it?" Natasha asked slowly. "For 'evil one'?"

Percy nodded. "Do you remember anything about it? That was a guy's name." The doctor frowned at Percy giving her a bit of information but didn't say anything otherwise.

She looked on the verge of saying something before she shook her head. "It felt like I was on to something," she explained, a little put out. "Maybe it was just the name's meaning, but it seems like it just has a really negative feeling with it. I don't like the name."

Bruce nodded. "Me too. And I didn't know what the name meant, either."

"We have a small amount of recognition showing up on the scans," the doctor said encouragingly. "Percy, try to stick to big things like that."

"Uh, okay," Percy agreed, reluctant to go on with heavy, depressing stuff like this. He went for the biggest thing since his stay with the Avengers, the climax of his knowing the team. The real point when they knew for sure they were stuck with him for a long, long time. "Rooftop with Coeus." Percy crossed his fingers a little bit and hoped no one was looking at his hands.

There was a long pause. The doctor in the room and scientists Percy knew were behind the window were probably scribbling furiously in their clipboards. But Percy was only looking at his friends.

They had blank looks on their faces at first glance, but in their eyes was a deep, confused sorrow, like they were really sad about something but weren't sure why. Percy felt his hopes lift. He knew that lady couldn't completely erase him from their memories. Not that cleanly.

"Do you know what happened there?" Percy asked quietly, not wanting to disturb their train of thought too much. When they all focused their attention on him and shook their heads no, Percy continued. "I actually died twice soon after that."

Tony gave Percy an _are you kidding me_ look. "Kid, I'm gonna lock you away in a padded cell so I can ensure you live until twenty-five."

"Not the first time you've said that," Percy fired back.

"And probably not the last," Tony mumbled to him, slumping in his chair until a nearby scientist chided him. Tony sighed and sat back up straight so he wouldn't mess up the many wires connected to him.

After a pause, the doctor—Percy guessed he was in charge—stepped forward once more. "Okay, we're going to show you a recent video. It was from a very… emotional time, and if you feel at any time you need to stop it, notify me immediately. Although, I would ask that if you believe you can hold out for the duration of the ten minute video to do so. This could be very beneficial." With one last lingering look on Percy, the man began to fiddle with a small screen in the center of the room where everyone would be able to see it.

When Percy saw the room where this entire mess had started, his heart sank to somewhere around his feet. He had a feeling he knew exactly what this video was going to be, and he really, _really_ didn't want to go there. He mouthed a curse.

He almost told the guy to stop the video _right now_ when he saw him and the Exacter talking, but he couldn't seem to find his voice. His hands clenched the arm rest. His heart monitor was probably going through the roof.

He watched the team drop one by one like flies and felt like he was reliving his worst nightmare that pointed out all of his flaws. He looked like he had just stood there and watched it all happen. Watched as the woman clicked the button that started all of this. Watched as his friends' memories were erased. How could he have done that?

Percy was actually embarrassed at how far downhill he went. Or at least he would've been if he could _freaking breathe_. Watching himself scream and shout and basically fall apart in front of his very own eyes was a little disconcerting. Especially when SHIELD had a video of this and could pull it up at any point in time and show it to the entire world if they wanted to. All the scientists were probably watching the video right now, analyzing his every move and coming up with all the different ways he wasn't good enough. They'd be right, anyway.

The video ended with Percy being dragged away, and the silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable, although Percy was only half-aware of it. He was floating in a haze of his own mistakes, too far in to realize that someone was calling his name.

"Percy!" Steve said loudly, gently tapping his face. "Hey, buddy, are you alright?"

Percy blinked. "Uh."

Natasha sighed. "Why didn't you stop the video, Percy?" she asked, not unkindly and not like she was surprised at all. She glanced at the armrests, eyebrows raised. Percy blinked rapidly and turned his head to look at them, prying his fingers off the armrests carefully. Percy winced when he saw the halfway mangled pieces of the chair. "Oops," he murmured. "My bad."

Percy tilted his head back up and wished he could've bottled the looks the team was giving him at the moment. Because sadly enough, it was exactly the ones they used to give him when he did something really stupid. Back when they still remembered him.

And for a moment, he could pretend like everything was normal and he had done something normal-Percy would do that would make the normal-team worried.

But this wasn't normal. And they didn't remember him. And Percy, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, was not okay.

* * *

 **A/N: There's nothing like self-hate and regret for your favorite character, am I right? Kidding (or am I?). Anyway, I have a world of pain—ahem, fun— coming up for you guys soon. I figured it all out last night. It's going to be so fun (for me)! Thanks for your amazing response so far. Let me know what you thought, and if you might have any guesses as to what might soon be happening. :) See you guys in a week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Man, things are moving along nicely here. I'm actually updating regularly? Wow. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter that I slaved away on (kidding I had so much fun). I don't own any of the movies mentioned here, obviously. They're some old classics, by the way. I highly recommend watching all three mentioned. :D**

 **Disclaimer: Nope again.**

* * *

Chapter Four

Percy was lying on his hospital bed tossing a roll of bandages in the air while being lectured. He felt like one of those "misunderstood" baseball kids in those 90s movies, although it was slightly ruined by being fussed at by six people at once. He cut Steve off mid-sentence to tell him this.

Steve sighed and rubbed his face while the rest of the team closed their eyes for a moment, probably asking for the strength to deal with Percy. "You aren't listening to me."

"Well, the way I see it," Percy began, lobbing the bandages high and frowning when Clint snatched it out of the air and set it on a table out of Percy's reach, "I've already heard every lecture you could possibly come up with." He turned his head to look at Steve and the others instead of the ceiling. "I've had many of them," he added.

"I just don't understand why you didn't tell them to stop," Bruce said, waving a hand around. "It is truly beyond my very limited understanding of you, Percy. So help me out here."

Percy shrugged and looked back up at the ceiling. It had at least two cracks in it with a small water stain in the corner. He tapped his fingers on his stomach. "You don't know me." When they went to interrupt him, Percy shook his head. "Let me finish. You don't know me, and yet you want to. But you have to understand that sometimes I just _do_ things or _don't_ do things and I can't understand why because _I_ don't even know. And a week ago you guys would understand that it was just me being me and I couldn't help it."

"Listen, kid," Tony began, his face more open than Percy had seen it since the Incident. It was hard to remember that Tony and the others didn't actually know him; they were strangers. "If you need some space, tell us to back off. If you don't want to live with us, tell me to quit badgering you. If you don't want to get to know us again because it would hurt too much, don't act like it's something you want to do. You need to _talk_ to us."

Percy was quiet for a moment. "A few months ago, maybe, like, two weeks after I had first gotten to the tower, I had a nightmare." The team seemed a little confused at this line of thinking, but didn't stop him. "It was a really sucky nightmare and an equally gods-awful flashback that followed it. But the absolute horrible trauma of it broke the wall of awkward half-friends half-teammate thing we had going where we weren't sure if we should cross the line." Percy toyed with his sheets. "It's a line you can't go back on, once you do it, and I knew full well I was crossing it then. So to answer your question, I'm in too deep. This is gonna hurt, but I can't go back now. It isn't even an option," Percy told the team, giving them a half-smile when he dragged his eyes away from counting the tiles on the ceiling.

"I'm not sure why I didn't tell him to stop that stupid video. Looking at something like that tends to take any words you might have wanted to say and ground them up into little bitty pieces. Who knows. Maybe there's a bright side. Maybe the scientists got something out of it."

"It should not be at the expense of your well-being," Thor said solemnly.

"Well, tomorrow I can go back to the tower and be much better there," Percy countered. "And then we can begin the wonderful task of getting to know each other better."

"I'm feeling a team bonding night come on," Natasha said in a surprisingly good impression of Steve. "Movie Night, to be exact."

" _Top Gun_!" Tony exclaimed immediately.

Percy raised an eyebrow at Tony. "Come on, you know that makes everyone tear up. And you're one of the first ones to start."

Tony put a hand to his chest, looking wounded. "I thought it was team code that we didn't talk about getting emotional during movies. And now you've broken that sacred rule. And come _on_ , you'd be heartless not to cry when Goose dies."

Percy sat up, stretching his back and sighing when he felt it pop. "I wouldn't have said anything if you weren't so obvious about it. I swear you cry more and more every time I've watched it with you."

"We'll have to move on to other Avengers movie classics then," Bruce cut in before Tony's feathers could get any more ruffled. "We'll watch _The Breakfast Club_ and _Forrest Gump_ and binge eat a lot of bad things."

"How are you going to watch those on the same night?" Clint demanded. "Really, Banner? You know they can't top each other. You have to have a good movie first and then an amazing movie to end off on Movie Night. You can't have two greats. It disturbs the balance."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You can pick which one you want to end the night on."

"No, you can't _do_ that," Clint denied adamantly. "They're both classics and you can't have one try to top the other. It just can't happen. They're on two different ends of the spectrum because they're both amazing."

"You can decide if you want to end the night questioning your life or end the night crying," Natasha deadpanned. "That's the choice."

"They _both_ do that to you!" Clint said helplessly. "That's why you can't pick!"

"How do you know the crying part wasn't because of me?" Natasha asked, her voice entering the Danger Zone. Thor raised his eyebrows and stepped back a bit so he was clear of Angry Natasha.

Percy smiled as he dangled his legs off the bed but felt his heart ache all the same. He'd already heard this argument once from them. It was almost word for word.

"We'll just have to see what Percy thinks!" Tony said loudly, diffusing the noise. Everyone turned to look at him. "Well?" Tony asked expectantly.

Percy blinked. This was new. Maybe he was wrong about the repeated conversations. Maybe they were just very similar. "That's easy," he said. "Everyone knows you watch _The Breakfast Club_ kind of late in the night, play a trivia game to mimic the scenes in that movie, and _then_ watch _Forrest Gump_ so you can go to bed questioning your life and crying a little due to both of the movies. Duh."

Clint looked at him in awe. "This is why we're keeping this kid around," he announced. "He's a genius. It's a miracle."

As the team descended into another squabble, this time deciding if Point Break was a good nickname for Thor at all, Percy grinned. Slightly different conversation but the exact same solution.

The scientists would have a field day with this one.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was frustrated, and not for the reason one would logically think of first in his situation currently.

He couldn't go to sleep.

Two movies, a trivia game, and a mini popcorn fight later (mostly between Steve, who won, and Tony, who intercepted them from the target, Clint, and ate them), and Percy couldn't keep his eyes closed long enough to have a little power nap.

Percy sighed and stared at the stupid ceiling that seemed to be mocking him in his room at the tower. He'd thought that since he was back to a bed he was used to, he would sleep just fine tonight. But he was wrong, as usual. He was tired, absolutely exhausted, from his stay at the hospital, and he just wanted to go to sleep to get away from it all. Of course he couldn't have something as simple as this, though.

Percy threw off the covers in exasperation and tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen. Laying in bed would drive him crazy, so he might as well get up and try something different.

The clock on the wall read 3:39 in flashing green letters, so Percy didn't expect anyone to be coming around for a late night snack anytime soon. He heated up some water and got out some Sleepy Time tea that always helped a little. He sat down at the table at the kitchen bar on a stool and waited for it to steep.

"I didn't think you would like tea," a voice said in the shadows.

"Gods _above_." Percy started, violently jerking his scalding hot mug of tea and spilling it all over his hand. He cursed vehemently, waving his hand around and hissing. "Gods of Olympus, that hurt worse than acid-spitting monsters." He turned his head to Natasha, who was looking at him in concern and amusement, and grimaced. "I didn't see you there." Percy wasn't mad. He shouldn't have assumed that just because Natasha didn't know him she wouldn't still sit in dark places and scare the absolute _crap_ out of him.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly, the question seeming to inquire after more than just his throbbing hand.

Percy looked down at his now only half-full mug. He moved the teabag around a bit. "I didn't think I would like tea, but Bruce got me hooked on this Sleepy Time peppermint tea that's supposed to help relax you. Even if it doesn't work, I still like it." Percy grinned. "Although I tend to like it better in my _mouth_ instead of scorching hot and on my hand."

Natasha's lips quirked up slightly. "I thought you saw me." Percy gave her a disbelieving look and she relented. "Okay, no I didn't, but old habits die hard."

Percy shook his head. "Tell me about it. I thought I'd killed this one a while ago."

Natasha leaned her head against the wall behind her, relaxing her scrunched up posture in her stool slightly. "Why do you think they came back?" Percy didn't have to ask to know she was talking about the nightmares and insomnia.

"It could be a few things," Percy said, his voice seeming too loud in the quiet of the kitchen. "Stress from recent events or my current living situation that's a little too similar to the one I had back when I was bits and pieces stitched together all the wrong ways. Personally, my money's on both. Maybe my subconscious is getting confused on what's the past and what's the present."

Natasha was silent for several minutes. Percy sipped his tea, almost giving up on her saying anything when she finally admitted, "I wish we could remember you."

Percy frowned and turned to look at her. Her statement almost seemed like it was out of character, like he didn't have Natasha in front of him but someone else. He was a little touched she would trust him with this quiet admission even when she didn't know him. When she finally turned to look at him, Percy understood a little better what she meant.

"You're just what we needed," Natasha continued. "We don't even know you and you fit perfectly in the team already. I can see why we still feel like we should know you even if you don't look familiar at all." Her voice grew more frustrated. "SHIELD is working on an antidote and so are Tony and Bruce, but they aren't getting anywhere. It's been a week since the incident, and four days since they've known about the problem. And they've gotten absolutely nowhere and have no new ideas."

Percy shrugged and slumped in his chair. "Getting mad won't help me, so the only thing I can do is wait." Percy downed the rest of his tea in one go and went to set it down in the sink. "You know, you guys are just what I needed, too, although the results might have been a little more dramatic compared to you guys' change." Percy gave Natasha a small smile and exchanged good nights with her, hoping he could finally get back to sleep—and so could Natasha, who was still sitting on the stool. He hadn't asked why she couldn't sleep, but he guessed it could be anything. It was best to leave it alone unless she wanted to talk about it.

He stopped at the opening to the hallway and turned his head slightly to the side. "I wish you guys could remember me, too," Percy whispered to the darkness in the direction he knew she was in, and then slipped away to his room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy woke at eight in the morning after only three hours of fitful sleep at the most. He groaned and got up, splashing water on his face before he went down the hall to the kitchen. Food sounded good right now.

Breakfast was a slightly awkward affair. The team wasn't used to Percy's presence, and the usually comfortable silence was thicker and made Percy self-conscious. It made him wonder if he should've attempted to brush his hair before coming to breakfast. Maybe it would've helped him wake up; he could barely keep his eyes open.

After some awkwardly loud clanking of spoons against cereal bowls in the silence, Tony cleared his throat. "Nice pajamas," he offered in Percy's direction.

It finally dawned on Percy when he looked down that not only was he the only one still wearing pajamas in the group, but that he had accidently grabbed _The Little Mermaid_ pajama pants and "I Washed Up Like This" t-shirt Tony had gotten him as a joke in the darkness of his room. Percy felt his face redden. "That could technically be a vain statement since you got them for me," Percy shot back, pointing his spoon at Tony.

Tony smirked. "Go me."

Steve rolled his eyes and turned to Percy. "We got a call this morning from SHIELD. They want more samples from you and a few more scans. They think the solution to the problem might be in you since you were only exposed to a little of the gas and didn't succumb to the effects because of your proximity." Steve saw Percy's expression and gave him a half-smile in sympathy. "Sorry, Percy. I know how much you hate the hospital. But it won't take as long as yesterday."

Percy sighed and stood up. He smiled, but it felt more like a wince, so he couldn't imagine what it looked like to the others. "Well, whatever SHIELD wants, I generously give, no questions asked. When do we leave?"

"Fifteen minutes?" Clint said tentatively, but it came out more as a question than the intended statement.

Percy sat back down and put his head on the table. This day was already going to Tartarus, and it wasn't even past nine yet. "I changed my mind. I'm running away from SHIELD and all six of you are going to be my hostages," Percy told the table.

Bruce snorted. "What are you gonna do? Literally kill us with kindness?"

Percy frowned. The team had technically only known him for five days and was already hitting him with sarcasm that was entirely _true_. Maybe they would get better sooner than he thought. You only made fun of people once you were slightly comfortable they wouldn't get offended, right? Either way, Percy was going to count this as a win.

Besides, the only one who would be let down if Percy wasn't right was him. He tried not to dwell on that increasingly depressing thought and got up to get dressed. He had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, a little short transition chapter, but important, nonetheless. Actual team bonding going on right here. Poor Percy. I hope the team can remember him… It's a good thing I don't have to go through the torture you guys have to go through since I already know what happens and all (I'm smirking right now). So I'll see you guys in a week, and in the meantime, let me know what you guys thought about this chapter! I hope you enjoyed this relatively calm one because next chapter the plot thickens. It's gonna be great fun. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, so maybe this might be a little late? Sorry about that. In any case, this is the chapter in which Stuff Starts Happening. Please enjoy, my dears.**

 **Disclaimer: Heck no, this is all fun and games for me.**

* * *

Chapter Five

Percy shook his head vehemently. "You aren't putting that thing in me while I'm awake." He moved his arm away from the large needle again. The doctor sighed.

"I've numbed the area, which is all I can do," she said, clearly at the end of her patience, but Percy didn't care. He'd already gone through another nerve-wracking MRI and a CAT scan, so he was getting to his limit, too. The MRI was actually _worse_ this time around. "The quicker I do this, the quicker we can be done."

"Do you see how big that thing is? How would you like if I was going to stick that thing into _you_?" Percy pointed out, very reasonably he thought.

"I would look away and make someone go get me ice cream after," she shot back a little condescendingly, tossing her ponytail back in agitation. "And I would remember that I was helping my team this way."

Percy rolled his eyes and banged his head against the seat's headrest a few times. "That was a low blow," he said. "And I don't know what's wrong with the other half a dozen samples you took yesterday." He gave her his arm anyway and tried to ignore the serious sense of déjà vu he was getting with this. It reminded him too much of being a lab rat.

"We needed more," she told him, calmer now that he wasn't being difficult. She swabbed his arm again and put more numbing agent on it. Percy squeezed his armrest hard when he saw a glint of silver. He willed her to keep talking, and thankfully she did. "Running an unlimited number of tests on a limited amount of stuff is kind of hard." Percy shuddered when he felt a prick and closed his eyes. He tasted blood in his mouth from where he was biting his lip. "Of course, maybe if we were even remotely close to an antidote or counter-agent we'd be a little more excited about it." Her voice washed over him like ocean waves, calm and reassuring.

He let out a breath when the needle came out and unclenched his hand from the armrest, trying to keep his face from getting any redder than it probably already was. Gods, could this be more embarrassing? She probably thought he was a total wuss.

"Not a fan of needles?" she asked mildly, getting out another needle and test tube. "I'll need your other arm."

Percy felt the cold press of the disinfectant and the numbing agent. He wrinkled his nose at the sharp smell of disinfectant. "You could say that," he said. This lady must not have known about the whole Mabaya Moja thing. "I know it's a dumb fear. There's a lot more things that hurt worse in the world." Like having six of your closest friends completely forget about you, for one.

"It's not dumb," she said gently. Percy barely even noticed the small prick of the needle this time, and he only clenched his fist instead of mangling the chair's armrest again. "I've seen grown men faint at the sight of a needle. You're being brave right now. Have you always had this fear?"

Percy very carefully didn't look at the red liquid coming out of his arm and into the test tube. "I've never exactly liked them, but recently it's grown…worse." That was putting it lightly.

"Must have been pretty traumatic. You don't seem like a guy that scares very easily," she said, inclining her head towards him but keeping her eyes on the needle in his arm.

Percy shrugged with one of his shoulders. He knew this lady was gently prying, maybe trying to get him to talk about it. He didn't mind too much; at least she was polite. "Yeah, I've seen scarier stuff and been through scarier stuff. That one was just like having a fear come true."

"Well, you were a good patient today for me," she said, standing up. Percy was surprised. When had she taken the needle out? "Mostly," she added slyly. "And I'd see about getting that ice cream if I were you. You've earned it."

Percy smiled. He liked this woman. "Thanks, Doctor," he glanced at her name tag, "Doctor Walker." She gave him a strangely motherly pat on the shoulder and left after giving him a warm smile. Percy frowned slightly when it made him feel better. Did he really look so much like a kicked puppy that he was bringing out everyone's parental instincts? And did he actually feel so bad that it _worked_?

"Alright, kid, you're done," Fury said, walking into the room. "Although Coulson and I would like to speak with you in another room before you leave."

Percy made a face but followed Fury out anyway. As he trailed behind Fury with his hands in his pocket, he began to get a feeling that the name Coulson was really familiar. Then Percy remembered the Thor Incident.

He'd been messing with Thor's hammer (before he knew the whole you-must-be-worthy factor) in the meeting room because he'd been bored waiting on the team. Phil Coulson, without Percy knowing, had been watching him the whole time. It was one of Percy's finer moments of embarrassment. And, now that he thought about it, the familiar-looking guy next to Fury at the Exacter incident was Phil.

So, Percy thought, two guys who had been there at the abandoned book shop where everything had gone so wrong and who knew him pretty well wanted to talk to him, probably about the current situation. _Can't wait_ , Percy said to himself sarcastically.

Percy took a seat across from Fury and Coulson, who was already seated in the small meeting room Fury had lead him to, and looked expectantly at them. He wanted to get this over with as soon as humanly possible.

"Good morning, Mr. Jackson," Phil Coulson greeted him, that strange half-smile lingering on his lips, like he knew something Percy didn't. "So nice to see you again."

"And in slightly better circumstances than both of our last meetings," Percy grumbled at the table. "I'm proud."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You know each other?" When Percy and Phil nodded, Fury shook his head. "I don't want to know. Jackson, we have some questions for you. We've held them off for as long as possible until you've had some time to acclimate to your current… predicament. But we really need some answers now."

"Ask away," Percy invited, leaning back in his chair.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened in that building," Fury said quietly. "Exactly as you remember it."

"Don't you have video footage of it?" Percy asked, his tone a little sharp. "Or do you want me to go over it so you can make sure I'm not secretly affected, too?"

Fury's tone was slightly apologetic. "The only footage we have, the Exacter meant for us to find. Another of her tricks for getting to you. That is the only video feed we have of the encounter."

Percy pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on the table. "When I first entered the building, everything seemed like it was going according to plan." Percy told Fury and Coulson about him being drugged by the spray in the hallway and about hearing the screams and going to investigate them because they sounded like his team. They weren't, which he knew as soon as he got up to the room with Exacter. He explained how Bruce was in the room, even though he shouldn't have been. "So it was an elaborate set up," Percy concluded. "She planned it all along. I'm sure she would've followed through with her original plans of destroying things until she caught our notice, but her main goal was to get to the team and destroy it the best way she could."

Coulson nodded. "And can you tell us why Bruce Banner was in that room?"

Percy sighed. "I wish I could. The only thing I could think of was that maybe she hacked the frequencies in the helicarrier to make it sound like we were all calling for help. She must have erased all feed on the helicarrier immediately afterwards, too, since you guys aren't saying anything about it." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a camera in the room slowly turning to directly face Percy and his questioning. Percy's eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly before he gave his full attention back to Fury, acting like nothing had happened.

"You're correct when you say the helicarrier feed was wiped. The only other person in the helicarrier with Bruce remembers nothing, too. We found some small traces of the same drug given to the Avengers in his system. Just enough to make him forget," Fury added grimly.

"You checked the entire building for anything else that might help?" Percy asked, a little too desperate for his liking. "The ceilings, the air ducts, everything?"

"Everything," Coulson confirmed. "We put the place on lockdown and checked it from top to bottom. Any drugs that the Exacter used were just that: used. Only traces remain in the walls and the carpeting. We're better off testing you and the team. If we figure out the components the drug was made of, we can begin creating an antidote to counteract them."

"Of course," Percy muttered sarcastically. He chewed his lip for a few moments. "It feels like I'm missing something. Something big."

"It seems like you've told us everything you know, Mr. Jackson," Coulson prompted him gently.

"It's just Percy," Percy corrected him automatically. "And I _have_ told you everything I remember. But there's got to be something I'm missing. I refuse to believe that this isn't fixable."

"It isn't unfixable," Fury said. "But these things take _time_ , Percy. This is the last thing you want to hear right now, but the only thing you can do is have some patience."

"You're right," Percy said. "That _is_ exactly the last thing I want to hear right now."

Fury rolled his eyes while Coulson's half-smile grew a little larger into something like a three-quarter smile. "You're dismissed, Jackson."

Percy gave him a lazy salute and then a more subtle one with a smirk towards the camera when Phil and Fury's backs were turned.

When he met back with the team in the lobby of SHIELD medical, he was met with innocent faces. He raised an eyebrow at them and gave them a Look. He searched all their faces and said, "I blame Tony."

"Now wait just a second—" Tony protested while the others nodded really exaggeratedly.

"And as an olive branch that I am so graciously extending to you bunch of stalkers who like tapping into security fed, I propose ice cream," Percy continued, ignoring everyone, "that Tony pays for. As usual. It's the only way I'll be able to forgive you for spying on me during my meeting with Fury and Coulson, and I think I need some after that stupid testing I had to do. Again."

Percy led the way to the door, the others falling into step with him. Thor placed a hand on his shoulder as they walked. "Percy, how are you feeling after testing? We know how you are not fond of the tests. I cannot say I appreciate them, either," he grumbled.

Percy shrugged. "I got through it. The doctor I had was nice. If I have to go back in for testing, which I probably will, unfortunately, I hope I get her again. She seemed like she could handle my crap again," Percy laughed.

Clint ruffled Percy's hair. "Who wouldn't, with such a cute face? You're even more adorable in the PJs from this morning, kid."

Percy groaned and shoved Clint's hand off his shoulder as the team laughed and snorted. "Come _on_ , you guys, do you know how early in the morning it was? I refuse to get dressed before nine o'clock unless forced. It should be illegal, in my book."

" _Anything_ before nine o'clock in the morning seems like it's illegal to you," Steve pointed out, grinning widely.

"I rest my case," Percy said as they came up to the ice cream place they usually went to when they didn't get the gallon ones from the store.

Bruce volunteered to order for everybody since he always remembered what people liked, but Percy was so distracted arguing his point that the morning time is meant for staying in bed that he didn't even notice Bruce was gone until he got back to their table. Percy was handed a blue cotton candy cone with some blue sprinkles. He stared at it like it was alien.

Everyone else was already tucking into theirs. When they finally saw that Percy wasn't eating his, they frowned. "What's wrong, Percy?" Natasha asked. "I thought that was your favorite."

Percy's mouth dropped open. And then he laughed. He laughed like he hadn't laughed in what seemed like _forever_. The team looked like he was crazy but also seemed happy that he was happy, in a weird way. "Bruce," Percy finally said when he had gotten his breath back, "why did you get me this ice cream flavor?"

Bruce's cheeks were starting to get red. "I thought it was your favorite," he answered quietly. The team gave Percy confused _duh_ looks.

Percy giggled (only a little though—and it was a manly one). " _Bruce_ ," he stressed, smiling incredulously. "How did you _know_ it was my favorite?" Bruce's face wasn't red anymore, but it was still politely puzzled. "How did _any_ of you guys know that?"

"You told us," Tony said slowly. Then his face cleared up. "Oh my god. No you didn't. No you didn't. You didn't tell us that!" Tony exclaimed. "I just knew that! _We_ just knew that! Oh my gosh!" The others were starting to laugh with Percy now, and Percy felt a warm _something_ settling into his stomach that felt a lot like hope.

"Oh my gods, this is fan _tastic_ ," Percy breathed out between dying chuckles. "You even remembered the freaking _sprinkles_." His smile turned quickly into dismay when the majority of his ice cream unceremoniously dropped into his lap. He stared at the very, _very_ cold liquid slithered down his legs in droplets. "You know what," Percy declared. "I'm not even mad. The only thing that could ruin my happiness is—" Percy cut himself off abruptly. "You know what, with my luck, it would actually happen, so I'm not going to say it, but just _know_ that it was something really bad and drastic."

Bruce threw a pile of napkins at him, and they left before the employees could give them any more dirty looks for disturbing the quiet atmosphere.

They snickered and giggled like little kids the entire way home. Percy had to clutch his sides and lean against the nearest building at one point. Though, to be a fair judge, Clint had already been on the ground crying with laughter for a solid minute. Even Natasha, who didn't usually go for random outbursts like this, especially in public, had let up a little. Or for her, a lot. Percy was honest-to-gods _snorting_ he was laughing so hard. They stumbled into Avengers Tower, barely avoiding hitting the glass doors.

They called Fury and told him the good news. The scientists were ecstatic about the news and decided to bring them all in for testing again tomorrow. While Percy wasn't too happy about that, they promised him no needles this time. He could deal.

They all fell asleep in the living on pallets and on couches, sprawled out everywhere. Percy shared a couch with Steve, each on opposite ends. Percy drifted off to the sounds of Thor snoring and Darth Vader telling Luke that he was his father. It was comforting in a lot of ways. It tricked Percy's brain into thinking that it was just like old teams, when the team knew all of his odd quirks and tendencies. When the team just _knew_ him.

It was the first night Percy had slept through without drugs since the accident, and he couldn't have felt better. Of course, he should've known it couldn't last.

The next morning, Percy woke up to the sounds of his teammates coughing up blood and gasping for air.

He would never look at the color red the same way.

* * *

 **A/N: This looks like a good place to stop, right? No? What do you mean** _ **no**_ **? Okay, but seriously, don't kill me for this. And since we're getting into the thick of things, I kind of can't wait for you guys' theories. Who knows, you might even be spot on (of course, I wouldn't tell you if you were, but after you would get bragging rights. Awesome, right?) Anyway, let me know what you thought, and thanks so much for all your reviews and support. I've been having a** _ **lot**_ **of fun.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So now that we're back to my regularly scheduled program, expect the next chapter in a week. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter Six

* * *

It was freezing in SHIELD medical, and Percy couldn't seem to stop shaking, although that probably wasn't because of the cold.

He considered how he looked right now. Bloodshot eyes accented by dark purple bags beneath them, only made worse by his pale, drawn face. Legs pulled up to his chest so that his chin rested on them, ruffled hair that probably made him look younger than he was. He was a mess, and looked it, too. Although, looking at his team right now, his _friends_ , he didn't much care.

It was a medical mystery, according to the SHIELD doctors. The scans had shown that there was absolutely no reason for their "excessive rate of deterioration." They should have been healthy, for all intents and purposes. They hadn't detected any lethality in the drug the Exacter had given them. The doctors were baffled and could only repeat over and over that they _should_ have been absolutely _fine_.

Well, Percy thought sarcastically, he _should_ have been the doctor here if that was all they could think to say with their endless degrees and experience. There was nothing _fine_ about coughing up blood.

He looked away from the team's beds to tuck his face into his white "I'm a hospital patient" pants. He was so tired of being poked and prodded like a lab rat. Then Percy immediately felt guilty that he had even considered being tired of submitting to tests so that the doctors could try and find a solution. It was his fault that the team was even in this situation at all. He shoved his face further into his knees and shivered again. Gods, what he would give to go back and fix this.

He was surprised that the medics had let him stay in the team's room at all. Maybe they were feeling merciful since he was their test subject for an entire day. Maybe they knew that since he was going to sneak in later anyway, they might as well save everyone the trouble and just go ahead and set him up in their room. They had an extra cot in the room for Percy to sleep on, but he didn't think that would be the wisest thing to do, right now. He could only imagine the horrible nightmares he would have the second he closed his eyes.

He sighed and peeked up to examine the team again. They all looked pretty bad off, even if they shouldn't have been affected at all because of their intense healing abilities, like Thor or Bruce. The doctors had told Percy that if they got any worse, they would be forced to put them on a ventilator. For now, they simply had oxygen being supplied to them through a—Percy's mind stuttered over the word for a second—cannula in their noses.

The clock next to Thor's overly still form—it was unnerving not to hear him snoring—told him it was five o'clock, which would've been a good time as any for a nap. But he didn't want to sleep. He needed to call Annabeth and tell her what was going on. He needed someone to talk to, and Annabeth always made him feel better.

He glanced at his friends' peaceful faces, reluctant to leave them. He bit his lip. He could talk to Annabeth for half an hour and be back before anything exciting happened, easily. Still, Percy didn't want to just in case they woke up and needed him. Although he wasn't sure why that would be, he obviously wasn't doing a very good job of being a teammate now. A _good_ teammate would've prevented this from every happening.

Percy shook his head and got up. He was wasting time moping. He gave Clint's foot a passing pat before he left the room, telling the nurse that he would be back in about half an hour. She smiled at him kindly and told him that she would keep a good eye on the team for him and let him know if anything changed. He thanked her and began the search for good lighting and some water.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Percy, I know what you're thinking," Annabeth told him when the conversation lulled.

Percy blinked in surprise. She was good. _He_ didn't even know what he was thinking. "What am I thinking?"

"You're thinking that all of this is your fault," she said, eyebrow raised. "Aren't you?"

Percy gave her a blank look. "Well, Annabeth," he said slowly, "it kind of _is_."

She sighed. "No, Percy, it isn't. How could you _possibly_ have been expected to stop this all from happening? You were _drugged_. I'm surprised you could _walk_ let alone fight back. You're doing all you can to help, and that's all anyone can ask of you. Anything more, and it wouldn't be reasonable."

"You're not gonna let me pull the 'agree to disagree' card, are you?"

"Not a chance," she shot back, her gray eyes filled with determination. "Seriously, Percy, you need to get some sleep. You look exhausted. Do you want me to come meet you at the hospital or the tower?" Her face seemed practically etched with concern.

"No, no, you've got work and you're so busy with camp," Percy said. He hurriedly continued when he saw her face. "It isn't that I don't want you here at all, Annabeth, it just isn't practical. I'm going to be going through so much testing and questioning that I won't even be able to see you. It's too much trouble for you. I'll just call you tomorrow."

She looked doubtful but agreed. "Okay, talk to you tomorrow. Love you. Please get some rest and _take care_ of yourself."

He gave her a shadow of his usual grin, but it was somehting. "Do you expect anything less from me? Love you, too."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy thought he was being quiet when he snuck back into the room, but apparently not quiet enough to get past two master assassins.

"Hey, kid," Clint said in the darkness, scaring the absolute crap out of Percy.

"Seriously?" Percy whispered. "The first thing you do after passing out from, oh I don't know, _coughing up blood_ , is freaking scare me? Geez."

Percy heard Natasha snicker softly before switching on a lamp near her bed. The others started blinking awake while Clint continued to smirk.

"I should probably call the doctors in," Percy said. "They'll be wanting to do some tests."

"Not yet," Tony said groggily. "Ugh, I just woke up, that's the last thing I want." He sat up, clumsily removing the oxygen cannula. "What's up?"

"The doctors don't have a clue why you suddenly," Percy waved a hand around, "you know. They said that you were getting worse, but you look sort of better now."

"Not exactly what we were going for, but thanks for the news," Steve told him wryly. "Seriously, how are _you_? You look tired."

"There's so many things wrong with what you just said that I'm not even going to fuss at you for it," Percy said exasperatedly. That was the second time someone had told him he was fine in an hour. "I'm fine."

"That's what you _always_ say," Bruce grumbled. He placed a hand on his head and winced. "Does anyone else have a huge headache?"

Thor frowned, shaking his head "no" at Bruce before turning to Percy. "Do you have somewhere else to stay tonight? Surely you do not want to remain here. It is not very comfortable."

"Yeah, and the tower would be a little lonely for you," Natasha added. "Maybe you could stay with your mom and Paul?" Natasha grimaced and placed a hand to her head.

"Or Annabeth?" Tony asked. He sucked in a breath and groaned. "Gods, that's worse than some hangovers I've had." He placed his head in his hands and started rubbing.

Something wasn't right here. Ignoring the fact that they had correctly remembered Percy's mom and his girlfriend—he was _sure_ he hadn't mentioned Annabeth's name or the fact that his mom and Paul had an apartment in the area—there was something odd about the way they only started having a headache after they remembered—

"Oh my gods," Percy said just as the team doubled over in pain clutching at their heads, hissing in pain and curling over like they were trying to protect themselves from a blow. He slammed the "Call Nurse" button at least three times before running out.

After all, he was only making it worse.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was trying not to have a panic attack in the wide, empty room because he knew other people would be coming in soon. He thought it was a little ironic that he considered it progress that his panic attack wasn't anything to do with being a demigod and that he would've had one anyway even if he was just a _normal_ friend of the Avengers.

But then he remembered that if he hadn't been a demigod in the first place, he probably wouldn't have met the team in the first place.

"Breathe, Percy, breathe," he told himself, clenching his hands into fists. It wasn't helping at all. He wasn't breathing. How could he be breathing? He was hurting his friends. He was _hurting_ his _friends_.

"This isn't working," Percy told the table hysterically. Where was a distraction when you needed it?

He surged up from the table and scrabbled for the first thing he could find on the table: a pen and paper. And began to write.

 _Dear team—_

Percy scratched it out. That wasn't right. They were more than that, even now.

 _Dear friends—_

That sounded like a horrible greeting line for a Hallmark Card. He scratched that out too.

 _Hey, guys._

Horribly lame, but it sounded more like him. It would have to do.

By the time Percy was finished with the letter, he was considerably calmer and another person was in the room.

"I didn't want to interrupt your feverish writing," Fury said dryly in explanation. "Now tell me what you know."

"Shouldn't we wait for the doctors?" Percy's voice sounded lame and scratchy even to his own ears.

"I'll pass it on to them. Now talk."

"I figured out why the team deteriorated, and why they're going to continue to get worse," Percy said all in one breath. "Every time a memory of me comes back, they get worse. Yesterday, they remembered the ice cream thing and woke up the next morning coughing up blood. Today, they remembered things like my mom and Paul and my girlfriend and things that I always said and ended up with a splitting migraine. Every time they _look_ at me they remember something and get worse."

"Some theory, kid," Fury said, sighing. "Don't suppose you have anything to back it up."

"I've told you all I know, and I think it's the truth. Why would the Exacter think that taking me out of the picture would completely destroy the Avengers? It doesn't make any sense. But if this drug was to eventually _kill_ them and take me out of the game for forever by doing it, then she'd get exactly what she wanted."

"Free reign and clear skies to do whatever she wanted. And you crippled by the loss of the Avengers, unable to start up another group in your grief."

"Exactly," Percy said grimly, clutching the pen hard so Fury wouldn't see his hands shaking. "If I were you, I would keep a very close eye on her."

"Noted," Fury said. He was quiet for a moment. "Jackson, I know what you're going to do." He eyed the letter Percy had just written. "And I know what that letter's about."

"I _have_ to leave," Percy said plaintively, not even wondering how Fury knew what he was going to do. He must have been an open book with his frazzled nerves by now. "I'm no use here, and I'm making the problem so much worse. The doctors are done with the tests, I overheard one of the saying it already. I'll be better out there trying to find a cure. I can't sit around doing nothing while my friends are dying, and I can't sit around and be with them here because that makes it worse."

"I knew you were going to leave the second you called me in here," Fury said calmly. "Which is why I didn't call the doctors in here. You can leave now, all your business has been taken care of. Keep in touch." Fury handed him a card with a phone number on it. "Don't be surprised if you get a call from an unknown number."

Percy was surprised to say the least. "Uh, thanks. You aren't going to make me stay so you can keep tabs on me?"

"Like you said," Fury said with an eyebrow raised. "You're better off in the field trying to come up with a way to fix this."

Percy didn't smile, but it was something like one. He looked back down at his letter and tried not to think of it as a goodbye. He handed it over to Fury. "Can you deliver this?"

"Consider it done." Fury was all business now. "Now get out of my sight and find a cure." Percy barely spared him a nod before jogging out.

It was time to go back to Camp Half-Blood.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He was looking out over the water, and he was alone. It was strange to be back at camp after being gone for so long. He was grateful that Annabeth had shooed everyone away and said that she would be waiting for him later when he was ready. He was grateful for _Annabeth_.

He was looking over the water, but he wasn't alone anymore.

 _Hey, guys. It's Percy._

"Dad," Percy said, although it was more like a sigh. He hoped his dad had some godly wisdom for him. He could use it.

 _I know you're probably confused and lost, but this whole run-off-and-try-to-save-everything thing is normal for me. I hope that statement didn't just hurt you and make you remember something._

"Hello, Percy," Poseidon said, his voice like a calm sea in the midst of all the turbulence Percy was in. "The water looks a little restless today." His dad couldn't have been less subtle.

"Sorry. I've been a little conflicted lately."

 _The reason I'm writing you this letter is a little because I'm about two seconds from a full-blown panic attack but mostly because you deserved an explanation for why I'm up and leaving you. And so you could know that I'm not really up and leaving you_.

"I know, Percy. Practically all of Olympus knows that. The waters haven't been calm since this began." Poseidon's eyes held a bit of a twinkle in them as he said, "You're too much like me."

Percy smiled at that, but it quickly faded. "I don't know what to do. And I don't know how I can fix this."

His dad sighed and turned to face him, taking him by the shoulders. "I know this has been hard for you, son. And I know that you're hurting. But you have to have faith in yourself that you _can_ fix this. You have to have faith in yourself that you can find the cure. Everyone else does. And it's time for you to start, too."

 _I need to fix what I've started. I need to clean up my mess. I need to help my friends, and I can't do that when I'm hurting you by being there._

"I don't know how to trust myself when I've messed up so many times already," Percy confessed. "And I don't even know where to begin to look."

 _I'm going to find the cure, and I'm going to fix you guys, because that's what good teammates, good_ friends _do. They help each other._

"Perhaps," Poseidon said thoughtfully, "you should begin at the beginning."

 _So this definitely isn't a goodbye letter. I'm not up and leaving you. Not really. I just really, really want you guys to get better. Because I couldn't stand it if something happened to you, and let's leave it at that_.

"Retrace your steps."

 _This isn't goodbye. I'm going to see you again, and I'll have the cure with me. Because you guys mean the world to me, and I don't like losing family._

"Retrace my steps," Percy repeated slowly, "and begin at the beginning." He bit his lip and mulled it over. He looked up at his dad. "I'll start tomorrow. Thank you." Poseidon smiled and was gone the next moment.

 _Take care, and I love you guys. I'll see you soon._

 _This isn't goodbye._

 _Percy_

* * *

 **A/N: Let it be known that I had multiple death and maim threats in the comments last chapter and will probably get a few more this chapter. I loved every single one of them, and I especially loved all of your theories. And shout out to Sagitarscorpion1 who actually guess, like, exactly what was going to happen. Nice job! Can't wait to see if anyone else is as clever as them. Let me know what you thought (and what you think is going to happen), and I'll see you guys in a week (if you can last that long!).**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I say this every time, but you guys are really going to kill me for this chapter. I mean,** _ **I**_ **want to kill me for this chapter, and I wrote it. Read it and weep, kids. Also, caution, this chapter has one little swear word. Just the d-word, no big deal, but just in case swear words frighten you or something (you never know)? Can't say I didn't warn you.**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

Two days after Percy spoke to his father, he decided to leave camp. Annabeth was reluctant to let him go.

"I just don't know if it's the best idea for you to leave when you just got here, Percy," Annabeth said, her arms hugging her waist. "You're not at one hundred percent right now, and you said it yourself last night: you aren't thinking very clearly right now."

"Annabeth," Percy sighed. He stopped putting ambrosia in his pocket and turned to face her. "I've got to do this. I talked to my dad the other night, and he put some things in perspective for me." He looked down. "And I got a call from Fury this morning." The words rang oddly loud in his cabin.

"What did he say?" Annabeth asked, dread starting to spread on her face and color her voice.

"They're getting worse," Percy said past the lump in his throat. "They keep remembering things about me, so of course they're getting worse. It was stupid of me to think that by leaving I could make them stop remembering." Percy shook his head. "They're probably only thinking of me more now that I'm gone."

"That wasn't the only reason you left, though," Annabeth gently reminded him, stepping closer to place a hand on his crossed arms. "You left to find the cure. Which you're going to do."

"That's the plan," Percy said. He finished grabbing an extra dagger and some ambrosia, and turned back to Annabeth. "I'll be back tonight if I don't find the cure, and if I do find it, I'll call you at the hospital." He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the forehead. "Love you. I'll be careful."

"You never told me where you were going," Annabeth called as he walked out.

"Where it all started," Percy said over his shoulder. "The bookstore hideout."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy had to stand a full ten minutes outside of the abandoned bookstore before he could go inside without having a panic attack.

He was still breathing hard whenever he came into the same hallway he had entered in the first time. He could tell SHIELD had been here to investigate. He looked up, and the nozzle that had sprayed him with the drug was there. He was tempted to cut out that section of the wall with his sword and burn it. Percy noticed when he walked into the nearest room that that creepy book _The End is Nigh_ was still sitting there innocently on the empty shelf. He shuddered and continued to scour the room for anything that might hint towards a cure.

Percy spent a day looking for the cure on the first floor. He tore open the walls and floors whenever they seemed too hollow, he pried the bookshelves from their bolted positions on the walls, he ripped open the cushions on chairs and couches. And, thinking of Clint, he even checked in the air conditioning shafts. Nothing.

He hadn't expected to find the cure on the first day, but it was still depressing to come back to camp empty handed.

The next day, he returned and overturned the second floor, and the day after that, the third floor. He came back to search the building every day. The second time he finished completely searching the bookstore from top to bottom, inside and outside, he was considering either giving up, digging a hole underneath the building to check there, or going over to question the Exacter again. None of the options seemed appealing.

Percy was tired. He hadn't been sleeping well for obvious reasons, and he stayed at the abandoned bookstore from dawn to dusk every day. Annabeth had told him he was overworking himself searching for the past week, but he couldn't seem to stop. Stopping was like giving up, and he couldn't do that when the team needed him most.

Percy didn't want pick from the three choices he had laid out for himself. So he didn't. He created another, one that was against his rules, one that wasn't even close to a good idea.

He went to see the Avengers.

To say that Nick Fury was surprised to see Percy when he got there was an understatement. Percy noticed his eyes flicking over his person before they dimmed slightly. Fury knew he didn't have the cure.

"Sorry," Percy told him hoarsely. "I've searched all over that gods forsaken building for a _week_ , and I haven't found anything. I'm going to keep searching, though."

Fury nodded and then motioned for Percy to follow him. They walked for five minutes, finally ending up in the team's room. They looked worse than Percy had ever seen them. Their eyes looked sunken in their faces and even Thor, who was practically golden brown usually, looked ghostly against the hospital sheets.

"The doctors aren't sure how much longer they have," Fury said eventually, breaking the silence. "Maybe another week, a week and a half at the most. They're hoping that since the team is in a coma and can't consciously remember things about you, they might not deteriorate as fast."

"I'm going to find the cure," Percy said decisively, a stubborn edge to his voice creeping into his tone. "And it's going to save them."

"I know, kid," Fury said quietly. "I just hope it's in time." He walked, giving Percy some privacy with his friends.

Percy pursed his lips and stepped closer. He laid a hand on Natasha's bed. His head seemed to bow downward of its own accord, like the weight of this was pushing it down. "Just… Just hang on a little longer, okay? I'll figure something out. I promise. I'm going to fix this." Percy heard a light snuffling sound and took that as his cue to leave. He would return to the building tomorrow and try again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Gods, there has to be something I'm _missing_!" he said loudly in frustration. "I'm positive that cure is in that freaking building. _Positive_."

It had been two weeks since the team had first collapsed and coughed up blood, and twelve days since Percy had been searching the Exacter's lair. Fury had called Percy again that morning. His voice had been grim when he told Percy that the team was getting worse and worse faster than ever. Percy had gone into a slight state of shock when he heard the word "ventilator."

"You're sure you checked everything?" Annabeth asked, playing his devil's advocate.

" _Yes_ ," Percy said.

"Everything?"

The way she said it made Percy pause. "I checked the entire third floor. Nothing in the equipment left there, or in the ceiling where the drug came out, or in the floor, or in the other room on the floor. There was nothing on the second floor. And there was nothing on the first floor, either. I even checked behind the stupid bookshelves. The only thing I didn't crack open," Percy began sarcastically, "was that creepy—"

Percy cut himself off with a choking sound. "Oh my gods," he said, feeling like he was going to faint or something (he hadn't gotten much sleep in the past two weeks). "It's been under my nose the whole time. The one place no one would _ever_ check."

Annabeth grabbed his arm. "Where is it?" Percy turned his head slowly toward her.

"It's in that _damn_ _book_."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was never so glad in his life for his flying horse Blackjack.

 _You know, boss, I'm really glad we're skipping all this traffic again like the old days,_ Blackjack said. _I mean, you can imagine how much time you're shaving off by doing this? Although I guess I'm not quite as fast as that Iron Guy's suit._

"Iron Man," Percy corrected automatically, before realizing what he had actually said. He shook his head. "And you're plenty fast right now."

 _Man, boss, I just have a bad feeling about all this,_ Blackjack said, his voice serious in Percy's head. _You sure you don't want me to stick around? Don't you remember how well that turned out_ last _time I left you alone?_

"Which time?" Percy asked. "Everything's fine."

 _Before or after you either die or almost die?_

"Key word on the 'almost,' buddy, I only save the actual dying for special occasions," Percy said absently, scanning the ground below him. "Drop me there."

Blackjack landed with all the grace he usually did. Percy patted him gratefully on the head before running inside. He could hear Blackjack taking off in the background, pumping his wings to get airborne.

He sprinted inside, tearing around the corner and into the room, only to find that the book wasn't there anymore. Percy tore aside the bookshelves anyway but still found nothing. _The End Is Nigh_ was suddenly not here. He cursed from where he was kneeled on the floor. Where was it? It had just been here earlier today, and he _knew_ he hadn't moved it today. He frowned when he noticed a shadow on the floor that definitely hadn't been there a moment before.

Percy stood up quickly, but not quick enough to completely side-step the knife thrown at him. It caught him as a glancing blow to a spot just below his shoulder on the outside of his arm. He grunted in pain and placed a hand over it, both in a knee-jerk reaction to pain and to slow the bleeding. It was deeper than he first thought, and hurt like Hades, but it wasn't the first thing on his mind.

No, the first thing on his mind was the Exacter standing directly in the doorframe in front of him, holding the very book he needed.

She smiled. "I'm sorry, are you looking for something?" She wiggled the hand with the book in it.

It wasn't exactly a growl that came out of his mouth, but it was a near thing. "Give me that if you want to walk out in one piece."

"Oh, come now, Percy," she chided. "That's no way to speak to a lady."

"It's a good thing you're not a lady then," Percy shot back. "You told me there was no cure."

"There isn't," she confirmed, a smile still playing on the edges of her lips in a way Percy found infuriating. "I never said this book had the cure in it."

"Just the recipe for your crazy little drug, right?" Percy said. She seemed surprised that he had caught on so quickly. "Oh, come on, I'm not as stupid as everyone thinks I am." He felt a sharp twinge in his shoulder and bit his lip hard.

"I shall endeavor to remember that in the future," she said, her cocky persona starting to come back. "You've done nothing but surprise for the past few days, I must admit."

"And I'm about to surprise you again," Percy said, "if you don't give me that book right now." He tried to seem menacing, but his arm was throbbing now in time with his heartbeat. It was getting harder and harder to ignore. He clutched his arm tighter, but it didn't help.

After seeing her particularly smug smirk, Percy realized she must have drugged him. Again. He only hoped that it just intensified the pain. He needed a clear mind. "I'm actually _very_ pleasantly surprised that you realized the key to the cure was in this book," the Exacter said. "My sources tell me that you've almost upended the place over the past week or so."

"Twelve days," Percy said. "Did those same sources help you escape a heavily guarded SHIELD cell?" He shifted his stance into something looser and more open, tucking his hands casually into his pocket.

"Perhaps," she smiled nastily. "And with the Avengers gone, you gone, and this little… recipe book properly taken care of, I'll be free to do whatever I please. I can finally rid the world of the scum that is the Avengers."

"Who said anything about me being gone?" Percy asked innocently, before drawing the dagger in his pocket out and throwing it at her.

It hit the wall next to her face, dangerously close to shaving off some skin, and sat there quivering. The distraction of her jerking backwards was just what Percy needed, and in the blink of an eye, he had the Exacter shoved against the wall, forearm at her throat. His other hand reached for the book and yanked it out.

"Close call," she commented idly.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll try not to miss next time."

"Tempting, but no thanks." If Percy hadn't had her pinned against the wall, he had the feeling she would be examining her nails. "But where are my manners! I have some gifts for you. You are my guest here, after all."

Suddenly, quicker than should have been possible, she stabbed Percy in the arm with a needle that made his head swim. He wrenched himself backwards, but it was too late. Percy felt the effects almost immediately. Or, rather, _saw_ them.

He stood frozen in place, book hanging limply from his hand, heart thumping in his ears. Monsters filled the room, snarling and howling, dying friends begging him, _pleading_ with him, to save them, Annabeth with a blossoming red spot over her heart, and his team, gasping for breath in front of him, choking on their own blood.

 _You can leave Tartarus,_ a dark voice said in his ear that sounded achingly familiar, _but Tartarus will_ never _leave you._ Percy turned with dawning horror, and saw none other than himself. He was smiling grotesquely, hands and clothes stained red. _You will always have this darkness in you. And you will always,_ always _like it_ , he growled.

Percy stepped back hurriedly. He had done this. He had hurt his friends, he had _killed_ Annabeth. He had abused his power and let it _control_ him. And he had let himself become the monster he had always feared he would become. "I will never be you," Percy said anyway, his voice weak.

 _Even now you can see the potential_ , the other Percy went on, eyes glinting with something that was approaching far too close to madness. _And the part you hate the most is that it was always in you. This darkness was always a part of you. Tartarus only opened your eyes to it_.

"No," Percy denied, shaking his head and stepping back again. "No, I'm never going to be you. I won't become a monster. We would never do that to our _friends_ , our _Annabeth_."

 _That's the thing about the darkness, Percy_ , he said, stepping close to Percy and grabbing his shirt, shoving his face into Percy's. _It doesn't matter what you think or who you love. You can do whatever you want. You can live to your full potential._ His other self bared his teeth. _No consequences._

He shoved himself off. "You're wrong. There's always consequences."

 _Not when you're as powerful as I am._ Percy shuddered and tried to ignore the other monsters and voices whispering in his ear.

"You're not powerful. You're out of control." He glanced over at Annabeth and the others lying on the floor. _"Gods,"_ he choked out.

 _I'm always in control._ The other Percy twisted his hand and the monsters fell down dead. He reached out a hand, as if he was going to touch one of his teammates faces, before twisting his hand again to choke them.

"Stop it," Percy screamed, lunging for himself. "What are you doing? Those are your friends!"

The crazier Percy gave him a nasty grin. _I don't_ have _friends._ He grabbed the book out of Percy's hand and stabbed him in the side with his own knife.

And then the chaos cleared for a moment. And Percy saw clearly in the pain. He dove for the Exacter again, and snatched the book back. He hit her against the head hard, watching her eyes roll back. He sprang back when he saw her as himself again, lying still on the floor.

Percy looked around the room again and only saw a nightmare. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what to do. He was hyperventilating, and his arm felt like it was going to fall off. His side was filled with fire. He took a step towards the door, grimacing when he had to step around Annabeth. It wasn't real. None of this was real. But Annabeth's sightless eyes tried to tell him otherwise. He shook his head and ran out of the door before he could stop to hold her or his teammates. He had _real_ friends who needed his help, and they weren't these people in his nightmare.

The sprint to SHIELD medical was a blur. He knew he was bleeding out as he ran; the hand he had pressed against his side was doing nothing. He knew he was having a panic attack and still seeing hallucinations, but he was ignoring it in favor of getting to the hospital. And he knew that he had to stay conscious long enough to make it to his friends, his _family_. When he burst through the doors to SHIELD medical with a gasp, he collapsed on the floor, legs giving out. He curled up around his stab wound and the book, shuddering. She wouldn't get the book from him again. He felt someone trying to pry it from his hands and he struggled weakly.

"Oh my god, he's bleeding out!" the person yelled, before flipping him over onto his back and pressing down hard onto his side.

Percy groaned in pain, eyes cracking open barely to see the fuzzy face above him. It took the shape of a nurse. And he finally understood that he was with the _real_ good guys. He shoved the book into her hands and rasped, "What drug was made of—get to Avenger doctors." He laid his head back against the floor, exhausted. Monsters danced in front of his eyes, but he wasn't afraid. He was done.

He coughed wetly, and realized that the stab in his side must've punctured a lung. He coughed again and again, hard, but he wasn't afraid.

Percy had come back, just like he'd promised. He'd found the key to the cure. He had saved them and fixed this nightmare. He almost reached for the light floating somewhere above him, but he had to fight back. He'd told his friends it wasn't goodbye, and he'd meant it. He would never willingly break that promise to them. He just wished it hurt less.

He gasped for breath, and his vision went white in agony, before going completely dark and silent.

But Percy wasn't afraid, and he'd been wrong before. He wasn't done, not by a long shot.

* * *

 **A/N: Before I do anything, I need to shout out Ameila Loves Anime, who kind of sort of called the creepy** _ **The End Is Nigh**_ **book maybe being more than a convenient creep factor. Nice job! Enjoy the bragging rights. Anyway, this chapter was pretty intense, and for that, I am—well, I'm not necessarily sorry for it, I just feel kind of bad for you. I love knowing what's going to happen. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this giant climax of a chapter. I hope you can last until next week on this cruel cliffhanger. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry this is so late! Back to school stuff happened (persuasive essays are a pain, and so are persuasive books), and I just got super busy. Let's hope it won't be so long to update next time, although a little warning, I might not have the next chapter done in a week. Let's hope for the best though.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope.**

* * *

Chapter Eight

* * *

Percy was surrounded by monsters.

 _Weak, spineless fool_ , they told him. _You are nothing but a sea god's brat, and you will forever be a pawn. You were made to be a_ tool _, used by others._

"I choose my own destiny," Percy said. "And I can think for myself." He drew his sword, but by the time he had uncapped Riptide, the monsters were gone.

 _Percy_ , his mom said, cupping his face with her hands. _I need you to come back._

"Back?" Percy asked. "Back where? I'm here." He placed his hands over his mom's. "I'm right here, Mom. I'm right here."

 _Come back,_ she said again, before fading away.

 _I need you to hold on_ , Annabeth told him, appearing suddenly and hugging him tightly. _Please don't slip away from me, from_ us _. We need you. You have to hold on. And you have to come back._

"Come back _where_?" Percy asked, his head starting to hurt. "I don't understand, Annabeth." He pulled back to see her face. "What's going on?"

 _You're slipping,_ she whispered. _You're slipping away from us_. And then Percy realized what she was saying. What his mom was saying. Why he felt like he was floating.

He was dying.

She was gone before he could ask for her help, disappearing into the gray landscape he was in. He turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

 _Don't you dare die, Percy_ , a woman told him, eyes fierce and hair fiery red. _You said you wouldn't._

 _You promised us,_ a man with blonde hair reminded him. Four others stood around him, seeming to come from the depths of the gray landscape. _You_ promised _._

"How do I stay?" Percy felt oddly at peace even though he didn't know these people or remember this so-called promise he had supposedly made. He felt as if he knew them and had just forgotten them after spending a long time away from them. "I don't want to leave yet." As soon as he said it, he realized it was true. He didn't want to leave the place where these people were. He wanted to stay, but it felt like he was slipping away.

" _Percy. You must hold on_ ," the one with a deep, booming voice said.

"Hold on to what?" he asked. "You keep telling me to hold on, but there's nothing to grab."

" _Us_ ," a different guy said. He had a weirdly shaped goatee. " _Hold on with all that you've got, kid._ "

Percy frowned. He didn't know how to do that either. He looked at the group more closely and saw that they looked almost… faded. They too were disappearing into the gray landscape behind them. "Wait! I don't want you to go yet." Percy's voice sounded desperate even to him.

" _We aren't going anywhere, Percy_ ," the one with the glasses and curly brown hair told him.

"We'll _be there when you wake up_ ," the only man who hadn't spoken yet confirmed. He had close cropped dirty blonde hair.

"What if I don't wake up?" Percy couldn't imagine being all alone in this cold gray place for forever.

" _You will._ "

Percy reached for one of their hands only for his to pass straight through them. He grew more frantic. "I don't want to be alone here," he pleaded.

" _Then come back_ ," they said. " _Come back_." Their voices echoed as they faded away. All at once, Percy wanted to cry. Those people had felt like home, and now he had no one.

He felt a tear run down his cheek but ignored it, trying to figure out what to do. Looking at the gray place, there weren't any doors or windows, or anything else he could use to leave this place. He felt another tear join the other and shook his head at himself. Crying wouldn't help anything.

And then he saw his tear fall to the floor of this gray place and abruptly change the color to white where it landed. Percy sniffled and wiped his face, not quite believing what he was seeing. The white spread wider and wider, and where it reached Percy's bare foot, it was pleasantly warm.

Maybe crying did help things for once.

Percy stepped in the center of the rapidly growing white and breathed in. And smiled. Because this circle felt like home, too. He closed his eyes and remembered that feeling.

He felt a tug and his world went black.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was lying on a bed, and unfortunately, that was the only thing that he could be sure of.

The world was distant around him, like he had earplugs in. Everything seemed muffled and dreamlike. He struggled towards consciousness, but just felt so _tired_. He wasn't surprised at all when he couldn't quite get there.

The sheets covering him were scratchy and uncomfortable, but Percy thought it was much better than the isolated gray room. He tried to shift his finger, a foot, _something_ , but couldn't even find the energy for that. He must've made a small noise of protest, though, because he heard some clanging and shuffling near his bed. A hand brushed back the hair on his forehead, and Percy sighed. It reminded him of when he would get sick and his mom would make him feel better with a cool rag on his forehead. It was nice.

"I swear, kid, you're going to give me a legitimate heart attack one day," a voice said as a hand continued to brush his hair back. "I've already _got_ heart problems in the form of shrapnel and you want to add anxiety and worry to it? You're giving me gray hairs, bud, much faster than I'm supposed to have them."

Percy tried to ask what he had ever done to give this particular guy gray hairs, but all that came out was a pitiful snuffling sound. Percy would've rolled his eyes at himself if he could. Instead, he felt himself slipping back towards a comforting darkness.

"I'm going to take that as a sassy retort you would to say if you were awake," the man said, his voice familiar, "and let you have that one. Now cut it out before _all_ the nurses know that you've got us eating out of the palm of your hand." The hand grew steadier, and it was only then that Percy realized it had been shaking. "Get some rest, kid."

And Percy did just that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"—and I should kick you into next week for pulling a stunt like that, not that that would ever stop you from trying to do something stupid again—"

Percy blinked, confused as to when he had woken up and when exactly the lecturing had begun. And also a little confused as to why he felt like he had been hit by a truck and then dragged across the country behind said truck. The voice was still fussing at him.

"And a note? You left a note? What the _heck_ , kid, do you know what it's like to ask where you went and get a piece of paper in return?"

Percy realized this was more of a rant _at_ him than a lecture _to_ him. The person speaking had no idea he was even awake. And he had no idea that _Percy_ had no idea what he was even talking about. Or who he was. Maybe this dude had the wrong guy?

"Next time you run off like that, I'm shooting you with a knock out arrow in the butt, no questions asked, and let me tell you, that _hurts_ like a—"

Percy needed to stop the rant as soon as physically possible before that guy actually decided to follow up on one of those threats. But the second Percy tried to move, all the air went out of his lungs in a _whoosh_ and his head seemed to split open in two. He fell back onto the bed (a whole three inches he had moved, _wow_ ) with a muffled grunt and a heartfelt, " _Ow_." He squeezed his eyes shut.

"And _another_ thing—" the man cut himself off mid-rant, which was exactly what Percy wanted, if not the _way_ he wanted it. "Oh my gods, you're awake."

Percy coughed a few times as they guy hit the "Call Nurse" button. "Surprise," he rasped weakly. "Who are you?"

The man sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn't seem to have heard Percy.

He couldn't get over the fact that he should know this guy. Something about the blue eyes and close-cropped hair reminded him of someone. "I'm getting a serious sense of déjà vu from this, kid. How do you feel?"

Before Percy could answer, and ask what was going on, an entire group of people burst through the doors.

"Percy!"

Percy smiled confusedly. He didn't know these people any more than he knew the Lecture Guy. Before he could say so, the guy with the strange goatee started talking.

"Let me tell you, kid, you couldn't have woken up at a better time," he said, patting Percy gently on the shoulder. "In the middle of testing and everything. Should've seen the doctors' shock whenever we all just up and left. Even goody-two-shoes Steve." He grinned when another person in the group smacked him.

"Happy to help," Percy said, a little dazed by the man's spiel. He wasn't sure that guy had even really taken a breath the whole time he was talking. He tried to get up, more slowly this time, but was gently pushed back down by the one with the glasses.

"Probably not the best idea, buddy," he said quietly. "Holes in lungs don't heal as quickly as you'd like."

Percy felt around for the stab wound, touching the bandages that covered his stomach cautiously. "Yeah, you don't say…" he trailed off, feeling like he was missing something huge. "So, uh, what exactly am I doing in here? And who are you guys?"

There was a loud silence, and everyone stared at him. "You don't remember why you're here?" the only woman in the group asked. "Or who we are?" The last question sounded much heavier than any four words had any right to be.

Percy shrugged, trying to ignore how that pulled at the apparent stab wound on his torso. "Yeah, no. Sorry. Did I hit my head and forget everything that happened or something?" He felt sore all over, and his head pounded, but he when he felt around, he didn't feel a bump or anything.

A doctor opened the door and looked suspiciously at the group. "Ah, you're awake," he said to nobody in particular.

He stepped up to check Percy's vitals. When he was done, he stepped back. "You're coming along as nicely as we hoped. Any questions or concerns?"

Percy saw his chance and took it, since his new friends were strangely silent against the wall of his room. "Yeah. One thing. I don't know why I'm here. Or anything like that. And I think I should know those people? But I don't."

The doctor frowned. "That's a little worrying. We'll have to set you up on a second dose of the antidote."

"Antidote to _what_?" Percy asked, becoming frustrated at the lack of answers. "What happened? I don't—"

"What's the last thing you remember, Percy?" one of the guys interrupted.

"Uh," Percy said. He tapped a finger on the bed, thinking. "I guess Capture at the Flag at my summer camp I go to." His team hadn't won, but the bonfire after had been a lot of fun.

The room was dead silent around him. Percy didn't think that could possibly bode well for him.

"That," the woman with the red hair said, "was about seven months ago."

Percy tried to sit up again, alarmed. He didn't get very far before he saw stars and was pushed back down. " _What_?" he said, his voice higher than normal and slightly breathless with pain. "I've forgotten seven _months_!"

"Please calm yourself, Mr. Jackson," the doctor said, keeping his hands on Percy to make sure he wouldn't try get up again. "We will try to rectify this problem."

" _Rectify_ the problem?" Percy asked in an embarrassingly higher voice. "You don't _rectify_ forgetting seven months! You _rectify_ a tear in your _shirt_! Not a tear in someone's _brain_!" Percy placed his head in his hands. "How, in the name of all that is good, did I forget so much? Did I hit my head?"

"For once, no." That was the man with the curly brown hair's quiet voice. The whole group still looked shell shocked at this news. "It was a deadly drug."

"Deadly drug," Percy repeated. "But I'm not dead?"

"Listen, we probably need to let the doc check you out. We can come visit later and answer a few of your questions."

"Wait, no," Percy protested. "I'm fine. I just want to know what happened." But the group was already backing out of the room.

"We will see you soon," said the one with the booming voice. And then Percy remembered.

" _Wait_!" he called. Surprisingly, they all stopped and turned to him. "I do remember something about you. You were all in the gray place. Before I woke up." Their faces looked a little less hopeless at this news, if not very confused. "You told me I had made you a promise that I would stay. And you told me to come back."

"That gray place never happened, kid," Goatee Man said, his whole body a textbook definition of "morose."

"I know. It was a dream I had." And then Percy's eyes got wide, and he said a very bad word. Twice. "Oh my gods. You're the Avengers."

Percy was in the same room as the Avengers. And they apparently knew him very well. They were all, _apparently_ , friends. Family, if Percy's dream of the gray place was to be trusted.

And he didn't remember them at all.

The tall one with the short, neat blonde hair gave him a rueful smile. Steve Rogers, if Percy had his facts right. "Yeah, we are. Goodbye, Percy." The door clicked shut with a disheartening note of finality.

"So that's what he felt like," a voice said in the hallway, sounding a little wrecked. The footsteps faded away as the team walked down the hallway.

"We should continue with your examination," the doctor Percy had completely forgotten about said after a long, awkward pause, fidgeting with the ends of his stethoscope. "Say 'ah,' Mr. Jackson."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ah!" Percy said as he got another cramp in his leg.

He wasn't supposed to be out of bed. At first, he had scoffed at the bed rest prescribed to him by the doctors. He didn't get dizzy when he sat up, so he was fine. Or so he thought. By the third hallway he went down, he was feeling winded and light-headed. His stab wound throbbed in time with his head. To pass out right now, in the middle of the hallway where anyone would find him, would be _very_ embarrassing. But he had to get to the Avengers.

It had been three days since he had spoken to them, _really_ spoken to them. Not an "are you doing okay" check up and then leaving soon after. They claimed they needed to let him rest, but Percy wasn't buying it. They just didn't want to tell him the whole story. They probably didn't think he was "ready" or something.

He had a lot of questions for them. Like why they had gotten together in the first place, did Percy have a room in their awesome tower, did Percy go on super secret missions with them. And the kicker: why hadn't Percy had a single nightmare the past two nights he had gone to sleep without medicine to help?

Percy had spoken to Annabeth two days ago about what happened, and she seemed shocked at the news. She couldn't come visit him because she was in Athens for the week, but she said she would at least talk to him about the team in return. Annabeth had told him a little bit about his friendship with the Avengers and how close they were (which Percy would have had a bit of a hard time believing if it hadn't been for the depressed air around the team in question). He tried to get her to tell him more, but she wouldn't budge, saying that it was "their decision to tell you things, Percy, you'll just have to be patient." Then she had blown him a kiss and ended the IM before he could protest. At least things weren't different with her after seven months.

But right now Percy really needed to sit down before his legs gave out and did it for him. He slid down the wall and tried to get his breath back. He leaned his head against the wall and tried to ignore how he could go to sleep right then and there.

"We've got to tell him eventually," a voice said. It sounded like it was around the corner in one of the nearby lunch rooms. "We can't just keep putting it off. He needs to know."

Wait a minute. Percy knew that voice. He cautiously peeked around the corner and sure enough, there were the Avengers, sitting at a circular table, looking more ruffled and tired than the public had ever seen them, even after a fight. Percy couldn't understand how someone like him could've mattered enough to have done _that_ to them.

"I know we do," Clint said, twirling his spoon in his coffee. He took a sip and grimaced. "He just looked so fragile in that bed. And I just keep thinking about—"

"Him in that bed after they took him after surgery?" Steve cut in bluntly. "Yeah, me too."

Tony scrubbed his hands through his hair, ducking his head so he didn't have to move his elbows from the table. "I just can't believe _he_ can't remember _us_ now," he told the table. "What kind of twisted karma is that?"

"They can fix him," Natasha said. "They fixed us, and they can fix him. They just can't start him on a second dose until his body heals a little more. It'll be more effective that way."

"It can't come soon enough," Bruce said quietly in the corner. Percy couldn't quite see him so he tried to twist his body so he could see a little farther past the wall, which turned out to be a very, very bad idea. His vision went white as the motion pulled at his stab wound. He made a wheezing sound and thankfully had the presence of mind to hurriedly turn around and slam his back against the wall where he wouldn't be seen.

The conversation was abruptly cut off. "Did you hear that?" Thor asked. His booming voice sounded oddly more subdued. Percy couldn't tell if it was because he was trying to be quiet or from the whole Percy ordeal.

"Sounds like someone is behind the wall," Steve said evenly.

Percy heard their chairs scraping backwards. He cursed colorfully with the breath he had left as their footsteps got closer. He thought being caught passed out in the hall would be the most embarrassing thing that could happen to him right now, but apparently he was wrong. Being caught snooping on the Avengers would be much, much worse. And he couldn't even try and get away. If he moved now, he would definitely pass out.

He looked up when he saw shoes stop in front of him. "Hi," he told Thor, still a little breathless. He tried for smile, but when his wound twinged a bit more, it quickly turned into a grimace.

They were all looking at him in disbelief. Tony broke the silence first. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he asked.

"Emphasis on 'supposed to,'" Percy muttered. From Tony's raised eyebrows, he figured they all heard. Percy fidgeted a bit. "Are you gonna rat me out?" he asked.

Natasha got a slow smile on her face. Clint started shaking with suppressed laughter. Steve's face looked pinched, like he couldn't decide whether to give in to laughing. Tony outright snorted. Thor's laughter was already reaching booming levels. "Oh my gosh," Bruce said in wonder. "He doesn't even _know_ us and he's still sneaking out!" He gave a sort of giggle sound (Percy had never heard a grown man, let alone the guy who was the _Hulk_ , giggle) and adjusted his glasses needlessly, hair flopping slightly.

When they all finally calmed down—Percy still had yet to find out what was so funny but he was glad they weren't going to tell on him—they sat down and leaned against the wall opposite him.

"So why were you snooping?" Natasha's words were softened with her small grin.

"Well I was going to come find you to talk to you, and then I got tired," Percy admitted sheepishly. "So I decided to sit against this wall, which just so happened to be right outside of the room you were in."

"Typical," Tony muttered. Bruce whacked him.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Clint asked, even though everyone already knew the answer.

Percy straightened his shoulders and sat more upright. "I want to know what happened. Everything."

* * *

 **A/N: Come on, you guys. Surely you didn't think it would be fixed so easily right? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter in return for me taking too long to update, and let me know how you liked this! Also, did I get any of you on this plot twist? :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is very late, but it's better late than never. I've written this entire thing in the span of twelve hours. And, not only that, but I've ended the story. All of them. I hope you enjoy. Caution: this chapter contains hints at some not so nice methods of persuasion. (But I didn't describe it, don't worry.)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers or Percy Jackson.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

"I just don't understand where this Coeus guy came from," Percy said, waving a hand around a little more cautiously than he usually would. He really didn't want to pop open those stitches again. "I've never even _heard_ of him."

Natasha kicked her feet up on Percy's bed. "Neither have we until he started wanting to take over the world," she pointed out.

Percy thought through the story they had told him so far. About the nightmares, about the _fixing_ the nightmares (Percy still had a very hard time believing they were mostly gone, but he certainly wasn't going to complain), and about coming to the tower to help defeat this super-genius, powerful titan. All of it seemed so far-fetched and unbelievable. "So how did we get rid of him since he obviously didn't succeed in becoming ruler of the world?"

"First of all, it wasn't really a 'we'" Clint said. He was crunching on a bag of nuts on the other side of the bed the team had all but forced Percy in. "More like just 'you.'"

"You've got to be joking," Percy said.

"It was the stupidest plan I've ever heard of in my life," Steve chimed in.

"Okay, that sounds more realistic."

"And that's probably why it worked," Tony said. "Because no person on Earth would be dumb enough to try and outsmart a genius titan."

"And yet, outsmart him you did," Thor grinned.

"Alright," Percy relented. "Now you've got me interested in what happened. Spit it out."

And the team told him that and so much more. By the time they were done, Percy's stomach was growling, and his head was spinning with so many stories.

Almost as if he had read Percy's mind, Bruce came through the door with a steaming bowl of soup. Percy hadn't noticed when he had slipped out. It must've been when Tony was telling him about that time Percy was cradled gently in the Hulk's arms and the entire news was almost plastered with a picture of his face. Percy wondered if that story embarrassed Bruce or him more. Percy was betting on Bruce since he had left the room for it.

Percy thanked Bruce for the soup. He sat up some more, dodging the hands that tried to shove him back down onto the pillow.

"So anything else worthwhile knowing?" Percy asked.

"Funny you should ask," Steve said with a twinkle in his eye.

The next hour or so Percy spent laughing so hard that he was sure his stitches would burst. But he thought maybe, it would be worth it. The team—no, his friends, made him feel warm, like he had just had a cup of his mom's hot chocolate on a cold night. He felt so warm. He smiled sleepily.

Clint shook his head, amused. He leaned over and scooted Percy down on his pillows. Natasha pulled the blanket more snugly up to his chin. Percy's eyes fell closed, and someone brushed his hair back from his forehead. It sort of reminded Percy from right when he woke up after the whole thing with Exacter. He wondered if it was the same person as last time.

"Goodnight," he said, or tried to say. It ended up sounding more like "g'nigh."

"Night, Percy."

The world disappeared as Percy was blanketed with a comforting darkness.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy did not wake up comfortable, but he did wake up in darkness.

He couldn't feel his hands or his feet, but he was guessing that was because of the tight bonds tying him to the chair he was currently strapped to. His body ached, and he had a huge crick in his neck from where it had lolled against his chest while he was out. Percy wasn't sure where he was or why he was there, but he was guessing it wasn't to do with SHIELD.

He squinted around his room and could just barely make out a door across the room. Percy heard footsteps distantly down the hall. They paused, and Percy saw a light come on in the hall from the slip of space under the door. Percy's heart thudded in his chest and the footsteps came closer and closer. The door swung open, and Percy got a good look at what he assumed was his captor.

It was a woman, first of all. And she had a sadistic grin on her face and slightly crazed eyes. She stalked forward towards him, closer, closer. Her hand snatched Percy's face and yanked it up to face her directly. "Hello, darling," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Long time, no see." She roughly threw her hand off him, snapping Percy's head to the side in the process.

"Who are you?" Percy asked, his voice rougher than he would've liked.

The woman, for some reason, threw back her head and howled with laughter. Percy thought she must've been a little unhinged or well on her way to getting there. "Oh, I've forgotten. You don't remember what I look like." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still giggling. "I'm the Exacter, you idiot. And I'm here to finish the job I started."

Percy opened his mouth and then closed it again. It couldn't be this lady. SHIELD had taken this woman into custody. Right?

The woman walked back towards the door and flipped on the light switch. Percy flinched slightly as the bright light brought on a headache he didn't even know he had. When he could, he looked around the room.

There was, strangely enough, a television on the wall in front of him. Strange tools were on a cart near him that looked like they could be used in construction. The other walls were bare, if not grimy. The woman picked up a remote from the cart with the tools and switched on the TV. And there, on the screen, were the Avengers. "Smile," the woman purred. "You're on camera."

"Percy!" Tony exclaimed. "Are you okay?" The entire team looked like they wanted to burst through the screen.

"I've been a little better," Percy said, shooting a glance towards the woman who had started this whole mess. "My company is sort of lacking." He began to try and reach for water, feeling around to see if there were any pipes.

"That mouth is going to get you in trouble," the Exacter warned.

"I never did know when to shut up," Percy agreed, not entirely paying attention to what she was saying. It was strange; he couldn't feel any water. And his headache almost seemed to be getting worse. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" the woman repeated, mockingly thoughtful. "Well, let's see. I want to see the Avengers crumble in burn, and I want you to die a horrible, painful death."

"So not much then," Percy said dryly. His eyes began to water from the headache, but he kept pushing. Why couldn't he feel any water? There was no way this building had none. And even if it didn't, there was some around. There was _always_ some around. He sucked in a breath as a particularly painful throb pounded into his head.

"I wouldn't try that anymore," the Exacter told him, smiling mischievously. "I wouldn't want you to strain yourself trying to reach something you can't right now."

Percy stopped reaching for the water. He wasn't getting anywhere with it, anyway. "What did you do to me?" he demanded.

"You see," she continued, ignoring Percy, "I was cheated. The Avengers were supposed to die, and you weren't supposed to remember. My plan was flawless."

"Except it wasn't," Percy heard from the screen. He pulled his eyes away from the lady and looked at the team. Tony had spoken. "You failed, and we won," Tony said. "The crazy lady lost everything, and good prevailed, etcetera."

"If you won, then why am I standing here with one of your own?" She smiled when there was no answer. "Got you there, didn't I? This isn't over. This isn't over until I _say_ it's over."

Gods, how Percy wanted this all to be over.

The Exacter went on, her voice slightly higher than it was. "Did you seriously think," she said, "that I would just go away and let you all live on? That with a little faith, trust, and _pixie_ _dust_ you would get your happy ending?" She shook her head vehemently. "No!" she screamed. "This isn't over until _I—say—so_."

"You're completely insane," Percy said. When he saw her eyes seem to glow with rage, he realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to call her that while he was tied down.

She strode over to him and viciously grabbed his hair, yanking his head backwards. "I might be insane," she snarled. "But I'm still going to win, and you're still going to die in this _hellhole_ here. And I'm going to have so much _fun_." And with that, she drove her fist right into Percy's stomach, precisely where his stitches were.

Percy's eyes actually rolled back in his head from the pain, and he felt tears begin to slide down in cheeks. He gasped for air, which only made the pull from the stitches worst. He groaned and hunched over a little. He could taste blood in his mouth, and he sincerely hoped it was only because he had bitten his lip.

He heard the sound of a knife being slid out of its sheath.

"And now," the Exacter said, "Percy's going to tell me whatever weaknesses the Avengers and SHIELD has or else I'm going to—" she cut herself off. "Well, let's leave that up to our imagination, shall we?" She came back to where Percy was seated and flipped the knife a few time in the air.

"What's it going to be, Percy?" she asked, bringing the knife closer and closer to his face. Percy leaned back farther and farther, just about tipping over his chair before the woman slammed it back down with her foot. "The easy way or the fun way?"

Percy distantly heard the team's protests. His eyes were crossed trying to look at the knife. When he couldn't see it well anymore, he closed his eyes. No one ever said you had to look a nightmare in the face.

He felt the knife knick right along the edge of his collarbone before the Exacter stepped a few paces away and let out a huge breath, opening his eyes. The Exacter looked vaguely disappointed. "I really thought you would cave," she said, patting his heaving chest.

Percy was glad his hands were tied behind his back so she couldn't see how bad he was shaking.

"Of course I wasn't going to slash you to death," the Exacter said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Too messy. It's more for the artistic people, which I've never been. I can't even draw a good stick person. Besides, I prefer cleaner methods." Percy eyed the cart anxiously.

The Exacter smiled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Percy was very, very tired. And that horrible lady was coming back with that stupid shocker. His body ached all over, and not just from the shocker.

"Gods, aren't you bored yet?" he asked, his words not very clear.

"Not with a captive audience," she shot back cheerfully, glancing over at the team still on the screen. Percy thought they must have had to make a deal to stay on the screen so she didn't kill him or something.

"Your show is played," he groaned, shifting in his chair. He wished he could have his shoes back. This floor was disgusting. Percy felt like he was going to get a disease just from looking at it.

"Round—What is this again? Time flies when you're having fun, and I've lost track," the Exacter said. Percy wondered if he could knock himself out on the back of his chair so he could rest for a bit and shut her up. Probably not.

Percy spent the next twenty-four minutes (he knew because he was counting) in the same haze he had spent the other "rounds" in. And suddenly, he had an idea.

"Alright, I'll tell you!" he yelled. "I'll tell you!"

"Tell me what?" she asked, suspiciously.

Percy reached for the water and anything else. He would get to it this time. Period. "I'm sorry, guys," Percy said, trying to convey with his eyes that he was acting. "I'm really sorry, but I can't take it anymore." Percy made his voice crack on the last word. "I've got to tell her your secret, Natasha." He ducked his head like the shame was killing him. Really, it was just the headache.

"Ha!" the hag crowed. "I knew I would break you! Tell me, tell me," she came up to him closer, forcing his head back up. " _Tell me the secret._ "

Percy felt a tear slide down his cheek as he panted. He hoped he wasn't laying this all on too thick, but it looked like the lady was eating it up. "Natasha, I'm so s-s-sorry," he sobbed out. "I know you trusted me with this, but I need to tell her _something_. I've got to m-make it _sto-ho-hop_." Natasha looked just the right amount of devastated.

"TELL ME NOW!" the Exacter shrieked.

"Natasha's favorite color!" Percy wailed. "Everyone thinks it's red! But she's actually torn between lilac and black!" Percy reached and reached and— _there_. Gotcha, Percy thought.

"You _IDIOT_ ," the woman screamed, slapping Percy. "I'LL _KILL_ YOU FOR THIS."

"Not if I get out first," Percy grinned, hoping he didn't lose that loose tooth in the back of his mouth. "Faith, trust, and pixie dust go a long way, lady. It's time to fly."

With that, Percy let loose. And the darkness greeted him like an old friend.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'm very sorry, team," Fury said, his face drawn. "Nobody wanted this to happen. We tried our best, but it wasn't good enough."

"We'll manage," Steve said, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Thank you for your concern."

The team shuffled out of the room quietly. "I don't know what we're going to do," Clint said, breaking the silence. Tony shrugged, and that was all the answer anyone needed.

They went back to the guest waiting room.

"Took you long enough," Percy grinned from where he was sitting, his feet propped up on the coffee table. "I'm _starving_."

Thor smacked Percy gently on the back (well, gently for Thor). "I, too, could eat an elephant."

"That's a new one, buddy," Percy said brightly, rubbing his shoulder where Thor had hit him. "Usually it's a horse, but I think like yours better. So I'm guessing you guys still don't know where she is for sure?" He got out of his chair slowly. Steve knew he was still sore.

The team looks at each other and decides in that moment not to tell Percy what actually happened. "Nope," Natasha said. "Still didn't find her. But I just have this weird gut feeling she won't bother us anymore." They had made sure of that.

Steve ruffled Percy's hair. "I'm feeling some ice cream, right now."

"I bet I can order for all of you now," Percy said, grinning.

"I call unfair advantage," Tony announced. "Of course you're going to remember everyone's orders _now_."

"Even if I didn't remember, I would still know because you all get the _same_ thing every time," Percy pointed out.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Just for that, I'm going to pick something different."

Percy began to lead the way out of the building. "Oh, come on," he complained.

"Life is tough, young grasshopper," Clint said. "And so is remembering all of our ice cream flavors." They all bickered the rest of the way out of the building. Steve smiled.

Life _was_ tough. Bad things happened, and it didn't seem like there would be a way out. But sometimes, things worked out in your favor and everything was okay for a little while.

Yes, life was tough, but in this moment, life was also good for the Avengers.

* * *

 **A/N: And this marks the end of** _ **Recordatio**_ **and the entire** _ **Finding Yourself**_ **verse. Life is good, and I think that's how I'm going to leave it. Thank you for all your support through the years for those who've stuck with me for a while now, and for those more recent reviewers, thank you very much for kicking my tail back into work. Even though I might not write here again, I've grown a lot since I've started writing. Thank you all for that. Let me know what you all thought. And for the last time, goodbye!**


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